The Smithsonian’s annual Mother Tongue Film Festival is celebrating its eleventh year with four days of programming from Thursday, February 19, to Sunday, February 22, at venues on and near the National Mall. The only festival of its kind in the nation will offer 25 films in 27 languages from around the world. Most films will be presented with English subtitles or captions. All programs are free and open to the public.

“Film has the power to transform us,” said Joshua A. Bell, festival founder and co-director and curator of globalization in the Anthropology Department at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. “Showcasing a range of mother tongues, this year’s festival will uplift and help sustain us through powerful stories.”

Since its inception in 2016, the festival has showcased more than 300 films in languages from nearly every continent on the globe. A comprehensive story map of films presented by the festival over the years lists the films alphabetically and by continent, allowing viewers to scroll through and learn more about each film. For certain films, viewers can watch trailers or full films without leaving the map.

“Mother Tongue is pleased to offer films in diverse languages to audiences across Washington, D.C., and to have directors present to discuss their films,” said Amalia Córdova, festival co-director and museum curator of world cultures at the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. “There is something for everyone.”

The annual festival will open the week of the United Nations’ International Mother Language Day (February 21) and will take place in the National Museum of the American Indian; the National Museum of Asian Art; NYU Washington, DC; Planet Word; George Washington University; and Georgetown University.

The Mother Tongue Film Festival is hosted by Recovering Voices, an initiative of the Smithsonian founded in response to the global crisis of cultural knowledge and language loss. Visit the Mother Tongue Film Festival website for the full schedule and more information.

Festival highlights include:

Opening Ceremony and Uiksaringitara (Wrong Husband)
Thursday, February 19, 7–9:30 p.m.
Rasmuson Theater, National Museum of the American Indian

Following opening remarks, award-winning Inuk filmmaker Zacharias Kunuk’s feature-length film Uiksaringitara will makes its D.C. premiere. The film tells an intimate story of star-crossed teenage lovers Kaujak and Sapa, who must adapt to changing circumstances in pre-contact Nunavut, Canada. There will be a Q&A after the film with Samuel Cohn-Cousineau, director of Isuma Distribution International, moderated by Cindy Benitez (National Museum of the American Indian).