ancient languages

People walk passed the historic Aztec Theater on Main Street in Park City, Utah, Thursday morning, Jan. 17. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta)

I noticed one of the docs making its debut at Sundance this year is "The Linguists," a 70- minute-long film about scientists consumed with documenting languages on the verge of extinction. The film travels to places such as Siberia, India, Bolivia, confronting the forces silencing languages — institutionalized racism and violent economic unrest. The journey takes them deep into the heart of cultures, knowledge and communities at stake.

I have to say that as an Israeli who grew up on ancient languages and had an early interest in them, I really look forward to seeing this film.

Since the filmmakers recently relocated from New York City to Garrison, Putnam County, and one of them lives in Red Hook with his wife and young daughter, and since I happened to get an invitation to their Sundance party, I got in touch with them, just to say hi.

According to Seth Kramer, who has been producing, writing and directing award-winning docs for more than a decade, life in the Hudson Valley, away from the frenzy of competition in NYC and engulfed in fresh air and natural beauty, is conducive to a better ability to focus on the work and to the production of better movies.

The filmmakers are traveling to Sundance with their families, I hope to meet everyone at the party for the film, they sound so nice. They are all so excited, as this is their first film in Sundance. Hopes are high, and is the anxiety, of course.
I look forward to meeting them.