Languages Lost and Found: Speaking & Whistling the Mamma Tongue is a short film by Iris Brooks and Jon H. Davis, featuring music by John McDowell, celebrating diverse linguistic and cultural practices from around the world. Watch a short preview, or click on the image above.

This film screening and discussion will be held on Sunday, April 10 at 2:00 at the LIFT NYACK Wellness Center, located at 42 Main Street in Nyack, NY. It is scheduled just before John’s weekly drum circle event. Admission is $10 and more information is available at 845 709 1634.

In footage spanning five continents–from rainforest longhouses in Borneo to dramatic mountaintops in the Canary Islands–dynamic visions of art, music, and dance are woven into a vivid, global mosaic. The way we think, speak, and express our ideas is a reflection of our language. This film reminds us of how quickly some languages are disappearing while introducing the native tongue as an all-important vehicle for maintaining culture, sharing traditional wisdom, and envisioning the future.

Academy award-winning actor William Hurt narrates the film, which features music by composer John McDowell, known for his evocative score for the Oscar-winning documentary, Born Into Brothels. Iris Brooks and Jon H. Davis (co-producers and directors) are cultural reporters and explorers who pursue everything from rituals to royalty in far-flung destinations around the world, while keeping their eyes and ears open to the unexpected. At Northern Lights Studio, Brooks and Davis tell tales of exotic travel and culture infused with a refined sensibility through a variety of media: video documentaries, text, photos, graphics, music, and art.

“The melody of this cultural collage is soul-piercing; if we lose our mother tongue, we may lose the essence of who we are.”
-Juliette Blevins, Director of Endangered Language Initiative