As part of the FestiLab component of the FICMayab’ Festival the project organised a one-day forum on audiovisual translation and Indigenous film. This event used a combination of screenings, presentations of case-studies, and more formal presentations and was aimed at opening a more focused discussion on linguistic pluralism, audiovisual translation, and accessibility in cinema.

Three speakers – Yásnaya Aguilar (Ajuuk), Olowaili Green (Guna Dule) and David Hernández Palmar (Wayúu) – shared their experiences of working with subtitling, dubbing and circuits of film exhibition with Indigenous communities.

Ajuuk linguist Yásnaya Aguilar (COLMIX, Oaxaca) grounded the day’s discussions by offering an incredible overview of how Indigenous languages are framed and used in community viewing contexts. In particular, she highlighted local use of dubbing practices as a way to ‘indigenise’ films from other parts of the world and incorporate them into the Mixe audiovisual landscape.

Guna film producer Olowaili Green (SentArte, Colombia) shared her experience of founding a production company in Medellín designed to address linguistic diversity and cinema. This approach includes intersecting experiences of Indigenous and deaf communities and production processes geared at transforming the experience of deaf audiences.

Finally, David Hernández Palmar (Wayúu, Venezuela) outlined how the Muestra Internacional de Cine Indígena de Venezuela (MICIV) offers subtitling in Spanish in exchange for the participation of stellar international productions in the programme.

Insights from the event will feed into Charlotte’s ongoing work on audiovisual translation and Indigenous film from Latin America. You can read more about the audiovisual translation forum (in Spanish) here: https://www.ficmayab.org/noticias/156-talleres-festilab-en-el-ficmayab