This is the programme for the 2026 Beyond Babel Multilingual Film Festival, celebrating its 10^th anniversary. Before each screening, we will have a short introduction to the film and a Q&A session after the screening.

Inspired by the biblical story of the Tower of Babel — a symbol of linguistic diversity — Beyond Babel is a film festival that seeks to highlight the richness of multilingual life, showcase a wide variety of films, foster dialogue on film aesthetics, and broaden the representation of multilingual communities on screen. The selected films explore themes such as cultural difference, multilingualism, food, education, and identity.

Each film will be accompanied by a study guide and other resources, co-created with colleagues from the School of English and Manchester Met students, in collaboration with the Film in Language Teaching Association.

Organised by the Film, Languages and Media Research group – FLAME at Manchester Metropolitan University, this year’s edition remains true to its core values: embracing the beauty and complexity of multilingualism; presenting transnational film productions from across the globe; and screening films that connect cultures through multiple languages.

Embrace of the Serpent (12)

EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT (El abrazo de la serpiente)
Ciro Guerra | Argentina, Colombia, Venezuela | 125 min | 2015
Spanish with English subtitles

Thursday 28 May •  5:00- 8:00 PM • School of Digital Arts (SODA) Cinema

Dive into the wild ride of Embrace of the Serpent at Beyond Babel 2026—films that speak every language!

Get ready to dive into a mesmerizing journey with Embrace of the Serpent at the Beyond Babel Multilingual Film Festival 2026! This in-person event promises a rich cultural experience unlike any other. Join fellow film lovers as we explore stories that cross languages and borders, celebrating diversity on the big screen. Don’t miss out on this epic cinematic adventure—see you there!

Academy Award® Nominee – Best Foreign Language Film 2016

Embrace of the Serpent is a visually stunning ethnographic journey into the heart of the Colombian Amazon. The film traces four decades of encounters marked by discovery, misunderstanding, betrayal, and ultimately friendship between Karamakate, an Amazonian shaman and the last survivor of his people, and two Western scientists who become the first outsiders to explore the Northwest Amazon in search of the elusive sacred plant, Yakruna.

Spoken in nine languages, the film offers a hypnotic reflection on the beauty of the natural world and the enduring impact of colonialism.

This screening is sponsored by the Instituto Cervantes in Manchester.

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Tomorrow / Demain (CTBA)

Mélanie Laurent and Cyril Dion | Argentina, Colombia, Venezuela | 125 min | 2015
French with English subtitles

Tuesday 2 June  •  5:00- 8:00 PM •  School of Digital Arts (SODA) Cinema

Join us for the screening and Q&A of this uplifting French documentary that shifts the focus from climate crisis to possibility

Demain / Tomorrow is an uplifting French documentary that shifts the focus from climate crisis to possibility. Co‑directed by Mélanie Laurent and Cyril Dion, the film travels across ten countries to showcase bold, real‑world solutions in agriculture, energy, education, economics, and democratic innovation. Hopeful, practical, and inspiring, Tomorrow offers a compelling vision of how change is already happening. The film will be introduced by Isabelle Vanderschelden (Visiting Research Fellow of the University of Chester and co-director of the Film in Language Teaching Assocation).

Don’t miss out on this great film—see you there!

Manchester Metropolitan University and Alliance Française in Manchester is sponsoring this event. www.afmanchester.org