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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. Explore what roots us, the arcs of life, and the things that return us to our beginnings.—
IBEGWA (dir. Duiren Wagua (Gunadule), 2022)
This short film portrays the story of Guani, an albino Gunadule boy who endures constant discrimination for being different. To counter his reality, he invents an imaginary friend, Nuchu, who guides him, and together they build their own universe through games.
NIGIQTUQ ᓂᒋᖅᑐᖅ (The South Wind) (dir. Lindsay McIntyre (Inuit), 2023)
After leaving Nunavut in the Canadian Arctic with her mother in 1938, young Marguerite must negotiate the unspoken pressures of being Inuk in her new life further south. When an extraordinary letter arrives from home, she discovers what’s really expected of her.
Gabriela (dir. Evelyn Lorena, 2024)
A young undocumented Guatemalan woman dreams of joining a country club’s swim team in the American South.
La Espera (The Wait) (dir. Celina Yunuen Manuel (Purépecha), 2021)
Yazmín and Zenaida, daughter-in-law and mother-in-law, live in a Purépecha community, awaiting the arrival of their husbands, spending time that will reveal infinite possibilities.
Vaimoe (dir. Edith Amituanai (Sāmoan), 2023)
“e lele le toloa ae ma‘au lava i le vai”—the duck flies far but will always return to water. Vaimoe dares to look at love and growth after loss and tragedy within the Samoan community. It addresses ideas of migration, identity, belonging, and exploring what it means to return to an ancestral homeland.
“Uummati Attanarsimat” (Heart of Glass) (dir. Philippe Léonard, 2023)
An Inuktitut cover of Blondie’s “Heart of Glass,” by Inuk singer Elisapie Isaac showcases scenes from the Inuit community in Canada. Playing games, hauling barrels, and dog sledding are just a few of the activities played out against a frigid, snowy backdrop.
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The Smithsonian’s Mother Tongue Film Festival celebrates cultural and language revitalization by showcasing films and filmmakers from around the world, highlighting the crucial role languages play in our daily lives.
The festival is a public program of Recovering Voices, a collaboration between Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, the National Museum of the American Indian, the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, and the Asian Pacific American Center.
Image credit: IBEGWA (film still)
ACCESSIBILITY
All films are fully open captioned or subtitled in English. The venue is wheelchair accessible.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, National Museum of Natural History, 1000 Madison Dr NW, Washington, DC 20004, United States,Washington D.C.
