The festival's name, Własnymi słowami (In Their Own Words), emphasizes its purpose: to allow national minorities from around the globe to present their histories in their native tongues.
Stanisław Kordasiewicz, the event's coordinator, remarked: "In 2019, we had the privilege to take part in the official celebrations of the UNESCO Year of Indigenous Languages. Now, we're joining the festivities for the Decade of Indigenous Languages."
The festival will be held at Warsaw's historic Kino Luna from September 7 to 10 and showcase 13 films over the four-day span.
Notable features include Y Sŵn, focusing on the campaign to create a Welsh-language TV channel in the UK; Apenas el Sol (Nothing But the Sun), narrating the lives of the Ayoreo community in Paraguay; Pilsēta pie upes (The Sign Painter) about the Latvian community during World War II; and Twice Colonised, which tells the gripping story of Aaju Peter, a renowned Inuit lawyer who embarks on a journey to reclaim her native language and culture after the sudden death of her son.
Aside from film screenings, attendees can look forward to discussions with directors and researchers and an evening celebrating diversity which promises a mix of music, food, and culture from various regions.
"We have arranged discussions with the screenwriter of Y Sŵn and the director of The Sign Painter," Kordasiewicz shared.
"The diversity evening will offer a chance to experience various cultures, not just on the screen, but musically, in dance, and through culinary delights," he added.
The festival is a concluding event of the Coling initiative, which aims to support and protect endangered languages and promote sustainable language revitalization and maintenance measures.
Coling encompasses five academic organizations and two NGOs from four European countries, collaborating with six institutions in the United States and Mexico.
Kordasiewicz stressed the festival's importance in Coling's broader agenda. "We managed to organize one festival as part of this initiative, but we'd love for the festival's concept to continue," he said.
Admission to the festival is free of charge.
(rt/gs)