Alienated Tongues pulls together bold visionary works from contemporary narrative and experimental filmmakers that examine how communication might be a tool to dis-alienate ourselves from oppressive systems. This year’s selection, all directed by women, pays close attention to how women negotiate their labor, sexuality, leisure, and communities within—as bell hooks described—environments shaped by imperialist white supremacist capitalist patriarchy. The title, “Alienated Tongues,” draws attention to the body as a series of instruments or tools that can be weaponized against us and ultimately contribute to our alienation from ourselves, families, and ancestral heritage. Additionally, it invokes the corporeal, fleshy elements of our personhood that can only be intimately felt or experienced through engagement, arguing that though our tongues are more than just tools to communicate our subjectivity to others. (Guest Curator: Ayanna Dozier, Assistant Curator: Laura Caballero)
Full program: https://websites.umass.edu/mmff/
Program
April 1st at 7:00:
When the Phone Rang (Iva Radivojević, 2024, Serbia/USA, 74 mins. Serbian/English with English subtitles).
Short film: from where to where (Nada El-Omari, 2021, Canada, 8 mins.)
**Location: Amherst Cinema**
April 8th at 6:30:
Lost Chapters (Lorena Alvarado, 2024, Venezuela, 67 mins. Spanish with English subtitles)
Short film: A So-Called Archive (Onyeka Igwe, 2020, UK, 20 mins.)
Location: ILC S240
April 15th at 6:30:
Levers (Rhayne Vermette, 2025, Canada, 95 mins. English/French with English subtitles)
Short film: Celestine Florida Storm (Allison Janae Hamilton, 2025, USA, 11 mins.)
Location: ILC S240
April 22nd at 6:30:
Sugar Island (Johanné Gómez Terrero, 2025, Dominican Republic, 91 mins. Spanish with English subtitles)
Short film: Typhoon Diary (Helix Zhang, 2024, USA, 6 mins.)
Location: ILC S240
April 29th at 6:30:
Fucktoys (Annapurna Sriram, 2025, USA, 106 mins., English)
Short film: A Cyborg Manifesto (Four Chambers, 2020, UK, 5 mins.)
Location: ILC S240