No Mother Tongue for Everyone – Films

Jinhyun Kim
Germany, South Korea, Japan, United Kingdom | 2026 | 67 min
World premiere
Languages : Korean, Japanese, German
Subtitles : English, French

Growing up alongside her non-verbal brother with a developmental disability, Jinhyun has always sensed the invisible boundaries society draws between them. Her film journeys through the institutions marked by abuse, tracing the shape of a world built on exclusion. Where language thins, what remains is felt – an ambitious cinematic gesture toward all that could never become words.

Guided by a remarkably precise voice-over, the film follows Jinhyun as he explores his relationship with his non-verbal, disabled brother and the distance the world has put between them. The story, initially related in the third person, gradually shifts towards the “I,” towards intimacy. From Korea to Japan, from Germany to the UK, the camera tracks the perimeters of various medical institutions, framing façades and gates, weaving in stories of violence and exclusion, yet always remaining outside. A simple yet radical choice, but one that carries a rare political power: the film does not seek to explain or illustrate; instead, it leaves space. The blurs, silences and landscapes together form a delicate geography of isolation, experienced rather than narrated. No Mother Tongue for Everyone challenges a society obsessed with speech and conformity, opening up a valuable space for reflection on ableism.

Anne Delseth

No Mother Tongue for Everyone, 2026
Blue, Woman, Dress, 2023