From Mouth to Ear

The point of departure of From Mouth to Ear can be traced back to a question: a young filmmaker’s request to her father to use his biological mother’s surname. A question that led to a profound reflection on what it means to be unable to speak the language of your ancestors, and which words in that language might be of help to feel and name what for a long time seemed unspeakable. According to Zita Bamurange Van Bellingen, it felt like searching for a voice that is no longer fully there, for stories and a history that can no longer be passed on. During this process, she discovered that this feeling of loss is shared by many. In her own search for sounds, rhythms, and words, she found connection, and that connection found expression in a film. A film in which language is explored as a bridge between one place and another, but also between past and present, with an eye to the future.