Sierra Leone and Spain / 1998 / 52mins / Documentary / English and Mende

The Language You Cry In tells an amazing scholarly detective story reaching across hundreds of years and thousands of miles from 18th century Sierra Leone to the Gullah people of present-day Georgia. It recounts the even more remarkable saga of how African Americans retained links with their African past through the horrors of the Middle Passage, slavery and segregation. The film dramatically demonstrates the contribution of contemporary scholarship to restoring what narrator Vertamae Grosvenor calls the "non-history" imposed on African Americans.

Angel Serrano

Ángel is a Media Manager, Film Producer and Professional Photographer with a career that spans more than 25 years. He has produced many international projects, including award-winning documentaries and media productions for museums and exhibitions. He co-directed The Language You Cry In (1998), filmed in Sierra Leone and Georgia (USA). The film won Best Documentary Award at the New York International Independent Film & Video Festival and the Silver Award at the Houston WorldFest. In 2016, Ángel joined ACCIONA Producciones y Diseño Media Dept. Learn More

Alvaro Toepke

Alvaro Toepke is a filmmaker and writer from Spain. His work includes writer and co-director of The Language You Cry In (1998), winner of Best Family History Documentary at New York International Independent Film & Video Festival and director of Guerrilleros (2009). Learn More