[ANU Pacific.Institute] 2025 Mother Tongue Film Festival: in-person and virtual

Darja Hoenigman Darja.Hoenigman at anu.edu.au
Sun Feb 9 12:10:50 AEDT 2025 

Hi everyone,

Please see below the announcement for the 10th annual Mother Tongue Film Festival which will be in-person in Washington D.C. from February 20-23rd, but they will also have 6 days of virtual screenings from February 24 - March 1st.

A range of films by and about Oceania will be shown this year - Vaimoe, Kūkini, Taumanu, Meditjin, Winimaku Ara Papa Wiimatjaraku and WINHANGANHA. The Mother Tongue Film festival features films of all genres and films are free and open to the public.

The Mother Tongue Film Festival is an outreach effort of the Smithsonian's Recovering Voices Initiative. They have also produced a reel highlighting films that they have shown over the years about and by Pacific Islanders and Asian Americans. These can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/xjXTcWQ9pls?si=RVQ3fASMJCGg6-kP.



External Email - Exercise Caution

[Banner with ten film stills and text: Mother Tongue Film Festival, plus the tenth anniversary logo, 10 Years / Days.]<https://mothertongue.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=21cdbe91fb363c7ead362b511&id=bdd062bb48&e=ba3c49171a>
Celebrating Ten Years with Ten Days

Our mother tongues remind us of our shared humanity.

This year, the annual Smithsonian Mother Tongue Film Festival<https://mothertongue.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=21cdbe91fb363c7ead362b511&id=a9552c7e02&e=ba3c49171a> is celebrating ten years with ten days of programming! Guests are invited to enjoy the free in-person event at venues on or near the National Mall from Thursday, February 20, through Sunday, February 23, which will be followed by a six-day online film festival, February 24 to March 1. The in-person portion of the festival will spotlight new feature length films and short film programs followed by Q&A sessions with directors. The online portion will showcase a few of our favorite films from previous years.

“Through the unparalleled medium of film, the Mother Tongue Film Festival showcases the diversity of the world’s mother tongues and presents other ways of seeing, knowing and being in the world,” said Joshua Bell, festival founder, and co-director and curator of globalization in the Anthropology Department at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.

Explore the full schedule for the in-person festival, film details and trailers, registration links, and the venue map on the website. Stay tuned for the virtual program announcement in the coming weeks. Most films are fully open captioned or subtitled in English. American Sign Language interpretation will be provided for all introductory remarks, Q&As and discussions. All venues are wheelchair accessible.

Explore the Website<https://mothertongue.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=21cdbe91fb363c7ead362b511&id=1549827359&e=ba3c49171a>
[https://mcusercontent.com/21cdbe91fb363c7ead362b511/video_thumbnails_new/93044ff910f65264eee23c3b109c7468.png]<https://mothertongue.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=21cdbe91fb363c7ead362b511&id=15d651405f&e=ba3c49171a>
Watch the 2025 Trailer
In-Person Programs
[Film still showing a close-up on the eye of a buffalo. Mother Tongue branding around the image includes a deep red border, red and cream-colored bubbles, and the 10 Years logo.]<https://mothertongue.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=21cdbe91fb363c7ead362b511&id=8ca21a07bd&e=ba3c49171a>

Opening Night - Singing Back the Buffalo<https://mothertongue.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=21cdbe91fb363c7ead362b511&id=ce3df47229&e=ba3c49171a>
Thursday, February 20, 7–9:30 pm
National Museum of the American Indian

Award-winning Cree filmmaker Tasha Hubbard’s feature-length film Singing Back the Buffalo is an intimate story of reimagining North America through the lens of buffalo consciousness and a potent dream of what is within our grasp.

  *   Singing Back the Buffalo (Canada)

[An audience in a small theater watches video of hula dancers on a screen.. Mother Tongue branding around the image includes a deep red border, red and cream-colored bubbles, and the 10 Years logo.]<https://mothertongue.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=21cdbe91fb363c7ead362b511&id=6a126f81a4&e=ba3c49171a>

Reflecting on Returns: Fifty Years of the Human Studies Film Archive<https://mothertongue.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=21cdbe91fb363c7ead362b511&id=b4740ad2eb&e=ba3c49171a>
Friday, February 21, 1–3 pm
National Museum of Natural History
Register today!<https://mothertongue.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=21cdbe91fb363c7ead362b511&id=b4c377eba5&e=ba3c49171a>

Over the last fifty years, the Human Studies Film Archive (HSFA) has become an unparalleled repository for film that documents cultural and linguistic diversity. Join us for presentations by panelists who will each reflect upon their work to share aspects of this archival legacy with communities of origins.

[Film still of a person with long dark hair and a white shirt staring into the distance, with spooky trees in the background.. Mother Tongue branding around the image includes a deep red border, red and cream-colored bubbles, and the 10 Years logo.]<https://mothertongue.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=21cdbe91fb363c7ead362b511&id=cb5c137f69&e=ba3c49171a>

Gwledd (The Feast)<https://mothertongue.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=21cdbe91fb363c7ead362b511&id=7f77c3185c&e=ba3c49171a>
Friday, February 21, 7–9 pm
NYU Washington, DC
Register today!<https://mothertongue.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=21cdbe91fb363c7ead362b511&id=9b1542082c&e=ba3c49171a>

Set in the beautiful landscape of Snowdonia, this contemporary Welsh-language horror film unfolds around a dinner party and the arrival of a young woman under mysterious circumstances. Stay after the screening for a virtual Q&A with director Lee Haven Jones. Content advisory: This film contains strong graphic violence and is not suitable for young viewers.

  *   Gwledd (The Feast) (Wales)

[Film still of two rugby players on a field with a crowd in the background. Mother Tongue branding around the image includes a deep red border, red and cream-colored bubbles, and the 10 Years logo.]<https://mothertongue.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=21cdbe91fb363c7ead362b511&id=9a7662c77b&e=ba3c49171a>

Uproar<https://mothertongue.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=21cdbe91fb363c7ead362b511&id=236f1c502e&e=ba3c49171a>
Saturday, February 22, 12–2 pm
National Museum of Natural History

What would we do for our family or for our nation? A seventeen-year-old student is forced to get off the fence he has sat on all his life to stand up for himself, his whānau (family), and his future in this heartwarming story of identity.

  *   Uproar (Aotearoa [New Zealand])

[Film still of two kids sitting on a rock, facing away toward a mountainous landscape. One wears a feathered headdress and the other a backpack. Mother Tongue branding around the image includes a deep red border, red and cream-colored bubbles, and the 10 Years logo.]<https://mothertongue.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=21cdbe91fb363c7ead362b511&id=df264cbc61&e=ba3c49171a>

Lives in Motion<https://mothertongue.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=21cdbe91fb363c7ead362b511&id=dae76e3b45&e=ba3c49171a>
Saturday, February 22, 2:30–4 pm
National Museum of Natural History

These collected shorts from around the world focus on stories intertwined with the passage of time and characters who wrestle with the boundaries of what was and what is to come.

  *   IBEGWA (Panama)
  *   NIGIQTUQ ᓂᒋᖅᑐᖅ (The South Wind) (Canada)
  *   Gabriela (United States)
  *   La Espera (The Wait) (Mexico)
  *   Vaimoe (Sāmoa)
  *   “Uummati Attanarsimat”
(Heart of Glass) (Canada)

[Film still of seven mean wearing loincloths and leather sandals, with geometric black tattoos on their bare chests and holding wooden hand tools with sharp white teeth, take a taunting stance outdoors. Mother Tongue branding around the image includes a deep red border, red and cream-colored bubbles, and the 10 Years logo.]<https://mothertongue.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=21cdbe91fb363c7ead362b511&id=15562bb6b7&e=ba3c49171a>

Redemption & Duty<https://mothertongue.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=21cdbe91fb363c7ead362b511&id=042fcab2e6&e=ba3c49171a>
Saturday, February 22, 5–6:30 pm
National Museum of Natural History

This collection of films reimagines war to consider the unresolved legacies that can haunt individuals and families over generations. Content advisory: The films Kūkini and Taumanu contain scenes involving strong language and violence.

  *   Kūkini (Hawai‘i)
  *   Más Mik'áátùní Tsisgò
(Cut Knife Creek) (Canada)
  *   Taumanu (Aotearoa [New Zealand])

[Film still of a man in white coat and bucket hat inspecting a dark brown sculpture of a human figure with helmet and fist raised. Mother Tongue branding around the image includes a deep red border, red and cream-colored bubbles, and the 10 Years logo.]<https://mothertongue.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=21cdbe91fb363c7ead362b511&id=fd3c4eb2f6&e=ba3c49171a>

Restitution<https://mothertongue.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=21cdbe91fb363c7ead362b511&id=f708731168&e=ba3c49171a>
Saturday, February 22, 7–8:30 pm
National Museum of Natural History

In a world where museums are increasingly working to set past collecting practices right, these films provide another point of reflection on the ongoing work of restitution. Join us for these provocative films and discussion to follow.

  *   “Meditjin” (Australia)
  *   Dahomey (Benin, France, Senegal)

[Animated film still of a young girl in a purple dress bowing before a bush with purple flowers illuminated. Mother Tongue branding around the image includes a deep red border, red and cream-colored bubbles, and the 10 Years logo.]<https://mothertongue.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=21cdbe91fb363c7ead362b511&id=7fee068569&e=ba3c49171a>

Honoring Our Relations<https://mothertongue.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=21cdbe91fb363c7ead362b511&id=4bf23700c9&e=ba3c49171a>
Sunday, February 23, 11 am–12 pm
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

This collection of family-friendly shorts prompts us to think about our lives in relationship to others and the world around us.

  *   Miss Campbell: Inuk Teacher (Canada)
  *   Radio Bingo (Canada, United States)
  *   The Queen’s Flowers (Hawaiʻi)
  *   Mintsita, Landscapes and Interfered Breaths (Mexico)
  *   Winimaku Ara Papa Wiimatjaraku (Australia)

[Film still of a person with three lines tattooed on their chin and beaded jewelry gesticulating. In the room are animal pelts and a woven basket, and the window looks out to a forested area. Mother Tongue branding around the image includes a deep red border, red and cream-colored bubbles, and the 10 Years logo.]<https://mothertongue.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=21cdbe91fb363c7ead362b511&id=9fe6765e86&e=ba3c49171a>

A’-t’i’ Xwee-ghayt-nish (Still, We Live On)<https://mothertongue.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=21cdbe91fb363c7ead362b511&id=1bc029bcf9&e=ba3c49171a>
Sunday, February 23, 12:30–1:30 pm
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

Join us as we learn more about the work taking place in Northern California to raise new generations of Tolowa language speakers.

  *   A’-t’i’ Xwee-ghayt-nish (Still, We Live On) (United States)

[Film still of two people in a snowy landscape, both wearing heavy jackets and fur hoods. Mother Tongue branding around the image includes a deep red border, red and cream-colored bubbles, and the 10 Years logo.]<https://mothertongue.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=21cdbe91fb363c7ead362b511&id=0e2fbe1c79&e=ba3c49171a>

Eallogierdu (The Tundra Within Me)<https://mothertongue.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=21cdbe91fb363c7ead362b511&id=1cf402a299&e=ba3c49171a>
Sunday, February 23, 2–4 pm
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

After living for many years in Oslo, Lena moves back to Sápmi in Northern Norway with her young son to explore Sami gender in an art project. As decisions from the past come to haunt her, Lena struggles to find out whether her and reindeer herder Máhtte’s lifestyles can ever be compatible.

  *   Eallogierdu (The Tundra Within Me) (Northern Sámi, Norway)

[Film still of a group of people gathered around an open fire on a  beach at night. Mother Tongue branding around the image includes a deep red border, red and cream-colored bubbles, and the 10 Years logo.]<https://mothertongue.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=21cdbe91fb363c7ead362b511&id=6cf837b15b&e=ba3c49171a>

As Noites Ainda Cheriam a Pólvora (The Nights Still Smell of Gunpowder)<https://mothertongue.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=21cdbe91fb363c7ead362b511&id=e11f0d5b01&e=ba3c49171a>
Sunday, February 23, 4–6 pm
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

In the aftermath of Mozambique’s civil war that lasted from 1977 to 1992, the filmmaker visits his grandmother, confronting fading memories and blurred lines between truth and fiction. Shot extensively at night, the film interweaves his grandmother’s recollections with sequences of villagers reenacting harrowing events.

  *   As Noites Ainda Cheriam a Pólvora (The Nights Still Smell of Gunpowder) (Mozambique)

[Film still of a person with white lined patterns painted on their face and shoulder and white pants on a beach. Mother Tongue branding around the image includes a deep red border, red and cream-colored bubbles, and the 10 Years logo.]<https://mothertongue.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=21cdbe91fb363c7ead362b511&id=41845dae90&e=ba3c49171a>

Pasts, Presents, and Futures<https://mothertongue.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=21cdbe91fb363c7ead362b511&id=cac52ab367&e=ba3c49171a>
Sunday, February 23, 7–8:30 pm
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

This poem is an experimental artistic film depicting a variety of archival images showing the Indigenous story in Australia through film over decades. Stay after the screening for a virtual Q&A with artist and director Jazz Money.

  *   WINHANGANHA (Australia)

Digital Programs
[Three-by-three grid of small film stills, all featuring people.]<https://mothertongue.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=21cdbe91fb363c7ead362b511&id=515a1e6f1a&e=ba3c49171a>

Virtual Retrospective<https://mothertongue.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=21cdbe91fb363c7ead362b511&id=d7eafa5c7f&e=ba3c49171a>
Monday, February 24–Saturday, March 1
Online

As we celebrate a decade of Mother Tongue, we invite viewers from around the world to stream a selection of films that have screened in previous years of the festival. Each day, a new selection of films will be available. Check the website<https://mothertongue.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=21cdbe91fb363c7ead362b511&id=b7cb7237ce&e=ba3c49171a> soon for the digital programming schedule.

Can’t Wait? Neither Can We
Start your Mother Tongue experience now with these resources!
[Film still of two people inspecting a document on parchment, with light streaming in through a window. Mother Tongue branding around the image includes a deep red border, red and cream-colored bubbles, and the 10 Years logo.]<https://mothertongue.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=21cdbe91fb363c7ead362b511&id=61f0cce51c&e=ba3c49171a>

Mother Tongue Story Map<https://mothertongue.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=21cdbe91fb363c7ead362b511&id=a59923ec6b&e=ba3c49171a>

The festival has showcased the work of over 300 directors and screened more than 300 films in languages from around the world. The comprehensive story map lists all the films shown at the festival since its beginning.

[A woman in a long-sleeved white top and pink shades, with long dark hair, sings among yellow wildflowers.]<https://mothertongue.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=21cdbe91fb363c7ead362b511&id=1fa001efae&e=ba3c49171a>

A Music Video Retrospective<https://mothertongue.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=21cdbe91fb363c7ead362b511&id=03d4cd32d8&e=ba3c49171a>

With videos screened during the first ten years of the festival, this playlist explores ten themes of creative fusion. It highlights musicians long beloved by Mother Tongue organizers while celebrating emerging artists around the globe.

[Film still of a group of people in matching black clothes on a shoreline. Mother Tongue branding around the image includes a deep red border, red and cream-colored bubbles, and the 10 Years logo.]<https://mothertongue.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=21cdbe91fb363c7ead362b511&id=c03fa214b9&e=ba3c49171a>

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Reel<https://mothertongue.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=21cdbe91fb363c7ead362b511&id=0b3af25295&e=ba3c49171a>

Since the festival's inception, it has shown sixty-four films screened by or about Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. The voices of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders are an essential part of this celebration.

[Facebook]<https://mothertongue.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=21cdbe91fb363c7ead362b511&id=030e2c3d3d&e=ba3c49171a>
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[Website]<http://mothertongue.si.edu/>

This email was sent by the Smithsonian Mother Tongue Film Festival.

Email us at mothertongue at si.edu<mailto:mothertongue at si.edu>
Website: mothertongue.si.edu<https://mothertongue.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=21cdbe91fb363c7ead362b511&id=ee4012d0d3&e=ba3c49171a>
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