2016–2020 Mother Tongue Film Festival Five-Year Report RECOVERING VOICES 1 2 3 Introduction 5 By the Numbers 7 2016 Festival 15 2017 Festival 25 2018 Festival 35 2019 Festival 53 2020 Festival 67 Looking Ahead 69 Appendices Table of Contents View of the audience at the Last Whispers screening, Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center. Photo courtesy of Lena Herzog 3 4 The Mother Tongue Film Festival is a core to the Festival’s success; over chance to meet with guest artists and collaborative venture at the Smithso- time, our partnerships have grown, directors in informal sessions. We nian and a public program of Recov- involving more Smithsonian units and have opened the festival with drum ering Voices, a pan-institutional pro- various consular and academic part- and song and presented live cultural gram that partners with communities ners. When launched, it was the only performances as part of our festival around the world to revitalize and festival of its kind, and it has since events. sustain endangered languages and formed part of a small group of local knowledge. The Recovering Voices and international festivals dedicated We developed a dedicated, bilingual partners are the National Museum of to films in Indigenous languages. (English and Spanish) website for Natural History, the National Museum the festival in 2019, where we stream of the American Indian, and the Cen- Over its five editions, the festival has several works in full after the festival. ter for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. grown, embracing a wide range of And, given the changing reality of our Through interdisciplinary research, audiovisual genres and experiences, world, we are exploring how to pres- community collaboration, and pub- drawing audiences to enjoy screen- ent the festival in a hybrid live/on- lic outreach, we strive to develop ef- ings often at capacity at various ven- line model, or completely virtually, in fective responses to language and ues around Washington, DC. We have years to come. knowledge loss. screened at venues as far-reaching as the John F. Kennedy Center for the In 2015, NMNH curator and anthro- Performing Arts and as communi- Our Misson pologist Dr. Joshua Bell conceived of ty-focused as the Mexican Cultural the Mother Tongue Film Festival as Institute. We have garnered support Honoring the United Nations’ Inter- a way to highlight the work of lan- to welcome 74 filmmakers, producers, national Mother Language Day on guage revitalization around the world actors, and cultural leaders from 43 February 21, the Mother Tongue Film through the most powerful medium communities and nations, to present Festival celebrates language and cul- now widely available to communities: their films live and dialogue with di- tural diversity by showcasing films the moving image. The first festival verse audiences. We have screened and filmmakers from around the opened on February 21, 2016, which works with no dialogue, music videos world. Through digital storytelling, the is the United Nations’ International in Indigenous languages, and works festival amplifies the work of diverse Mother Language Day, and the festi- in the mother tongue of ASL. We have practitioners who explore the pow- val continues to be presented around hosted behind-the-scenes tours of er of language to connect the past, Introduction this date. Partnerships within and Smithsonian collections for our par- present, and future. Mother Tongue outside the Smithsonian have been ticipants and offered local youth the 5 6 By the Numbers 168 10,758 FILMS ATTENDEES 142 58 LANGUAGES PARTICIPANTS 55 29 REGIONS PARTNERS 16 5 VENUES GRANTS An audience member at the Last Whispers Want to learn more? screening, Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center. See the appendices on page 63. Photo courtesy of Lena Herzog 7 8 2016 Year 1: The Beginning 19 languages 8 regions 31 films Burning Sun, dir. Elle Márjá Eira 9 10 2016 February 21-27 The first Mother Tongue Film Festival screening of five short films followed 2016 Smithsonian Folklife Festival’s day with the screening of four films launched on International Mother by a 2016 version of Star Wars: Epi- Basque: Innovation by Culture pro- about music at the Wallace H. Coulter Language Day, February 21, to cele- sode IV – A New Hope (1977; George gram, Monday night’s screening of Performance Plaza in the NMAH. brate mother tongues of communities Lucas) dubbed into Diné bizaad (Na- the documentary Loreak (2014; Jon around the world. The week-long fes- vajo) with English subtitles. The team Garaño and Jose Mari Goenaga) tival showcased both short and fea- behind the translation and dubbing, showcased the Euskara language. ture-length films representing nine- Manuelito and Jennifer Wheeler The DC Basque Club introduced the teen languages and eight regions, (Diné), were joined by filmmakers Zoe film in both Euskara and English at presented by various directors. The Leigh Hopkins (Heiltsuk/Mohawk) Landmark’s Atlantic Plumbing Cine- festival presented seven screening and Steven Paul Judd (Kiowa/Choc- ma. The Tuesday evening program of programs in five venues around Wash- taw) to discuss the making of Indig- nine dramatic shorts was co-hosted ington, DC: the National Museum of enous language films. The second by BloomBars, a DC artist and non- Natural History (NMNH), the National program featured five short films fol- profit incubator, performance space, Museum of American Indian (NMAI), lowed by the premiere of the docu- and gallery. On Thursday, the festival the National Museum of the American mentary Breath of Life: Revitalization featured films with an Arctic focus at History (NMAH), Landmark’s Atlantic of North America’s Native Languages NMAI’s Rasmuson Theater, with com- Plumbing Cinema, and BloomBars, a (2015), which showcases the work and mentary by staff from NMNH’s Arctic community arts center. In addition to research by Native American commu- Studies Center. On Friday night, NMAI presenting varied film programming, nity scholars involved in the Nation- hosted the DC premiere of the ac- each venue catered to different audi- al Breath of Life Archival Institute for tion-packed Māori drama The Dead ences, with several evening programs Indigenous Language, hosted at the Lands (2014; Toa Fraser). This pro- at capacity. The curatorial team con- Smithsonian. Following the screening, gram was presented with support sisted of Joshua Bell (NMNH), Melis- National Breath of Life co-director from the Embassy of New Zealand, sa Bisagni (Media Initiatives, NMAI), and Curator of Linguistics Dr. Gabri- and we were pleased to have Tim Judith Andrews (Collections Program ela Pérez Báez (NMNH) and Nation- Groser, Ambassador of New Zealand, Assistant, NMNH), and Dr. Mary Linn al Breath of Life Steering Committee offer introductory remarks. An in- Melissa Bisagni speaks with Manuelito and Jen- (Curator of Language and Cultural Vi- member and Mary Linn discussed depth discussion with one of the film’s nifer Wheeler, who translated and dubbed Star tality, CFCH). issues of language revitalization with producers, Tainui Stephens (Te Rara- Wars: Episode IV A New Hope into Navajo. director Gaston Lacombe. wa), followed the screening, and au- The festival opened on a Sunday diences were treated to outtakes from at NMNH’s Baird Auditorium with a Presented in partnership with the the film. The festival closed on Satur- 11 12 Sunday, February 21 Tuesday, February 23 Friday, February 26 Opening Narrative Shorts Dinner and a Movie 12 pm—Baird Auditorium, NMNH 7 pm—BloomBars 5:30 pm—Rasmuson Theater, NMAI Shhh! Shhh! Shhh! Neil Discovers the Moon dir. Steven Paul Judd dir. Steven Paul Judd both dir. Steven Paul Judd Spelling Bee Stones Star Wars Trash Compactor dir. Zoe Leigh Hopkins dir. Ty Sanga dir. Zoe Leigh Hopkins Little India The Dead Lands Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope dir. Mahesh Pailoor dir. Toa Fraser dir. George Lucas; in Navajo Search for the World’s Best Indian Taco dir. Steven Paul Judd 3 pm—Baird Auditorium, NMNH Huyhuy (trade) Saturday, February 27 Shhh! dir. Sky Hopinka dir. Steven Paul Judd Neil Discovers the Moon Music Program Clouds of Autumn dir. Steven Paul Judd 12 pm—Coulter Performance Plaza, dir. Trevor Mack Goldilocks and the Bears NMAH Shimásání dir. Zoe Leigh Hopkins Shhh! dir. Blackhorse Lowe The Longest Sun dir. Steven Paul Judd Living Language: Menominee dir. Patrick Smith Byron Nicholai of I Sing, You Dance Language Revitalization; Wapawekka dir. Tara Young Language Apprentice dir. Danis Goulet The Ways: Prayers in a Song: Learning both dir. Finn Ryan Language Through Hip-Hop Breath of Life dir. Finn Ryan dir. Gaston Lacombe Thursday, February 25 One Voice… Our journey begins with song Arctic Focus dir. Lisette Marie Flanary Monday, February 22 2 pm—Rasmuson Theater, NMAI Shhh! Basque Program dir. Steven Paul Judd 2016 7 pm—Atlantic Plumbing Cinema 7 Sámi Stories Shhh! International Sami Film Institute, Sámi Film At a Glance dir. Steven Paul Judd Lab; dir. Elle Sofe Henriksen, Marja Bal Nan- Sikumi/On the Ice go, Per Josef Idivuoma, Elle Marja Eira, Ann dir. Andrew Okpeaha Maclean Holmgren, Silja Somby, Egil and Peterse Loreak Attendance: dir. Jon Garaño and Jose Mari Goenaga ~600 13 14 2016 Budget Snapshot Travel E xpe ns es s e e F n o i t a c o Budget Snapshot L s Screening Fees $1,241 e e F g n Location Fees i $3,167 n e e r c Travel Expenses $7,370 S Total Budget $11,778 Sponsors & Partners The festival was carried out thanks to the combined efforts of the Mother Tongue Film Festival committee members. Financial support was provided by the col- laborating Smithsonian units NMNH, CFCH, and NMAI as well as funds from the Smithsonian Folklife Festival’s Basque program. Additional support was provid- ed by the Embassy of New Zealand, the Elizabeth and Whitney MacMillan En- Shimásáni dowment, Landmark’s Atlantic Plumbing Theater, and BloomBars.