Hi everyone!
I am sorry I have been on a hiatus from updating the blog (been a busy time wrapping up graduate school and the post-production of my thesis film project!)
For those that follow, you may have noticed a name change to my current project, previously titled “Language of the Lake”
In the post production stages of the film I began to realize that the title did not match the topic as well as intended or capture the essence of the story. Which, as a recap for those reading that may not already know, is the story of language use (of Kaqchikel Mayan) in Guatemala and the factors that influence its continued vitality as a spoken language for generations to come. An idea spawned from learning that the majority of the worlds languages face disappearance in the coming 100 years. (Scary thought right?! What about all the unique knowledge, understanding and cultural aspects of language that could also be lost!)
Provided this, I attempted to focus the film primarily on two subjects and occasionally interject expert opinion and insight for context . My first subject, the Cuxulic family, a Kaqchikel family who live in the rural municipality of El Barranco, provide context for current ideologies and language use patterns in a rural setting. El Barranco is located outside of Panajachel where I was based in the southwest region of Guatemala.
My second subject is a university student, Marlen, who is from the urban city of Chimaltenango, located just outside the capitol, Guatemala City. Marlen is the voice of language ideologies that sprung from a long history of indigenous marginalization in Guatemala. Her story aids understanding of the struggle that led her parents to a depreciated value of their mother language. Further leading them to not transmitting the language on to their children in fear that they would endure the same discrimination and hardships they had. She describes her attempt to reclaim her cultural identity through learning the Kaqchikel language as a university student. ( check out clips here! )
All of this comes full circle: the title change. As this story was taking shape and I attempted to be as non-bias or authoritative as possible (because after all, this is not my story but the story of those that speak the Kaqchikel language and endured the hardships threatening its continued vitality) I realized I needed a title that came from my main contributors in the film and someone I knew could speak authentically and with understanding of the topic.
It was after reviewing transcript after transcript of interviews that I realized I had found the title by looking at my ending. That is how “They Soon Forgot Their Words” was discovered. Marlen struck me with a seemingly innocent and casual quote, with which I unknowingly ended the film as I was wrapping up post production. Though I did alter the word usage slightly to have a more solid sounding film title, the concept is there. I hope you all are looking forward to seeing the film as much as I look forward to sharing the finished project with you all very soon!
Stay posted for updates, the premiere and future screenings!
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