Recovering Voices

The 2026 Mother Tongue Film Festival program is now available at mothertongue.si.edu 27 languages | 25 films | 14 regions | 1 festival Our annual celebration of language is here. The Mother Tongue Film Festival returns to Washington, DC February 19–22, 2026.

2026 @RecoverVoices Community Research Applications are due January 15, 2026! Contact us at recoveringvoices@si.edu

The Smithsonian will reopen the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, the National Air and Space Museum, and the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center on Friday, Nov. 14. All other museums, research centers, and the National Zoo will reopen on a rolling basis by Monday, Nov. 17. For the latest updates, please see si.edu/visit.

Due to the government shutdown, Smithsonian museums are temporarily closed beginning on Sunday, Oct. 12, along with our research centers and the National Zoo. We will update our operating status as soon as the situation is resolved. Visit us online: recoveringvoices.si.edu

Opening night will be held at the @SmithsonianNMAI at 7 p.m. with “Singing Back the Buffalo.” The screening will be followed by a live Q&A with the filmmaker, Tasha Hubbard. Check out the full program: mothertongue.si.edu #MotherTongue2025

It’s February and that means the Mother Tongue Film Festival! The full schedule is now live! In just seventeen days, the festival begins (In-person from February 20-23 in Washington, D.C., and virtual from February 24-March 1). mothertongue.si.edu

Music: “Vanua Ralemana” by Sprigga Mek Editing: Albert Tong, Center Peace Cinemas

Prepare yourself for goosebumps and not from the cold...the #MotherTongue2025 sizzle reel is out! Igniting excitement, energy, and passion for Indigenous films, the festival runs Feb 20-23 and Feb 24-Mar 1, 2025. Mothertongue.si.edu

Are we in D.C., or the tundra?? 🥶 Freezing temps in Washington, D.C., today have us thinking of “The Tundra Within Me,” a film set in Sápmi located in Northern Norway, to be screened at the Smithsonian Mother Tongue Film Festival! 2.20.25-3.1.25 mothertongue.si.edu

📷 The countdown is on! In just five weeks, the Smithsonian Mother Tongue Film Festival begins. It will feature ten days of programming Feb 20- March 1, one day for each year of Indigenous films featured since it began in 2015. Mothertongue.si.edu #MotherTongue2025

DEADLINE EXTENDED TO JANUARY 31, 2025!

We are thrilled to announce the 2025 Call for Community Research Program proposals. Eligibility and application requirements: recoveringvoices.si.edu Applications are accepted Nov 15, 2024 - January 15, 2025. Email us at RecoveringVoices@si.edu with any questions.

UNESCO calls on Indigenous-led media to take part in a global survey to improve media services for Indigenous Peoples worldwide. Available in English, French, Spanish, Russian, and Portuguese. Take the survey: bit.ly/46gkyuQ #DecadeOfIndigenousLanguages #IndigenousMedia

“Hózhó... it means harmony.” "Frybread Face and Me," the film that opened the Smithsonian’s 2024 Mother Tongue Film Festival, is the narrative feature debut of writer and director Billy Luther. Read our interview with Luther in Folklife Magazine: s.si.edu/4cFiBLc

Calling all Indigenous and minoritized language content creators! Our 2024 #LanguageLodge workshop series begins March 12. This free six-week program will help you co-create media with language communities around the world. Learn more: s.si.edu/3Iue9kw #CulturalVitality

The deadline for submitting applications to the Summer Institute in Museum Anthropology (SIMA) has been extended to March 7, 2024. Held @NMNH (June 24 – July 19, 2024) & funded by @NSF naturalhistory.si.edu/research/anthr…

That’s a wrap! The 2024 Mother Tongue Film Festival concluded last night at the @hirshhorn after a full day of incredible programs at @NMNH and @NatAsianArt. Thank you to our partners and all who attended, our largest audiences yet! Stay tuned for 2025, our 10 year anniversary!

Today is the last day of the 2024 Mother Tongue Film Festival! Join us for several amazing films showing at multiple venues throughout the day. Mothertongue.si.edu

The 2024 Mother Tongue Film Festival begins!