Automatische concepten

English summary

The Russian Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) in the arctic circle is home to the Tundra Yukagirs. Only 63 members of this nomadic people still speak the Yukagir language. Cecilia Odé, a scientific researcher, visits them fairly regularly in order to record and preserve their language and traditions for their descendants. Movie W is screening this film in cooperation with Wageningen UR as part of the One-World Week. After the screening on Friday 27 March, director Edwin Trommelen will answer questions from the public. Entrance for WUR students and staff is only 5 euros.

Thanks to the heart-warming friendship that Cecilia has developed with this community over the years, it was possible for the film crew to blend with the community and focus on the disappearance of their culture, and their efforts to save whatever of it they can. Some scenes are moving, such as when the elderly folk sing their hearts out and the some thirty children are at school, learning their language with extremely limited teaching materials. Everything is set against the spectacular background of the tundra, with herds of reindeer and nomadic tents pitched beside a frozen lake. The film, whose soundtrack is fabulous, was awarded the Grand Prix for best film at ARKTIKA 2012 (International Non Fiction Film Festival Saint Petersburg).