'The Linguists' race to save vanishing languages on Babelgum

By April MacIntyre Apr 2, 2009, 1:29 GMT

Babelgum.com will air a film that follows two acclaimed scientists on a race against time to document the world\'s vanishing languages

Technology and overpopulation have helped shrink the world's languages at an alarming rate, and there are a handful of people who are diligently trying to record and save some of the more remote, arcane spoken languages left in the world.

Babelgum.com will air a film that follows two acclaimed scientists on a race against time to document the world's vanishing languages

Independent Web TV service Babelgum announced today that it has acquired the exclusive worldwide Internet and mobile rights to the feature documentary The Linguists.

Screened in the Documentary Spotlight Program at the Sundance Film Festival, the film will premiere on Babelgum on April 20th, 2009.

The Linguists, directed by Seth Kramer, Daniel A. Miller, and Jeremy Newberger, is a  poignant chronicle of two scientist-adventurers racing to document languages on the verge of extinction.

The Linguists was a breakout hit at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and has screened at more than 40 film festivals worldwide and recently aired on PBS.

Speaking from Ironbound Films' headquarters in Garrison, NY, CEO Jeremy Newberger says: "It is very fitting that The Linguists, a documentary celebrating language diversity, has its online premiere on Babelgum, a company named for the digital 'gum' with which it connects diverse communities globally. We hope to inspire as many viewers as possible with the message of The Linguists, and Babelgum, with its global brand recognition and unrivaled accessibility both online and via mobile devices, is the ideal platform. We anticipate an overwhelming response."

Karol Martesko-Fenster, stated: "We are thrilled about our partnership with Ironbound Films. The filmmakers have crafted a compelling story that weaves travelogue together with the urgent sustainability issue of the world's disappearing languages. The resulting documentary appeals to film fans and the growing group of linguists worldwide. Babelgum's exclusive premiere of The Linguists reaffirms our mission to be the leading online and mobile destination for multi-lingual diverse forms of creative expression and cutting-edge independent film."

Babelgum's editorial focus is on music, comedy, film, urban culture, nature and the environment.

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