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Content Highlight of the Week: Vodafone and a dying language

23/05/14

To grip an audience we often talk about content needing to have a narrative arc: catalyst, conflict and conclusion
In this new film for Vodafone the catalyst and conflict are set up intriguingly in the first few seconds with some tantalising titles.

In the middle of Mexico AN ENTIRE LANGUAGE IS DYING.

Only two speakers are left on earth.

But… decades ago they stopped talking to each other.

Split apart by a fight about the language.

It’s a tragedy really. These wonderfully wrinkly and twinkly-eyed elders have no one to talk to. And, as a result, the cultural heritage of the Ayapaneco is threatened with extinction.

Can their decades-long rift be healed in time for this thousand year old language to be saved?  No spoilers here, you'll have watch it to find out.

This film is a charming and subtly engaging addition to the Vodafone #firsts series, featured as a highlight here just a few weeks ago. It's empowering and clearly celebrates the power of communication. So far, so right for Vodafone. What I’m not clear on is exactly how this ties in with their stated ambition at the opening credits to ‘help people to do things for the #first time’.

But let’s not dwell on that, Vodafone has produced a good short film about a fascinating story - one which could even bear more exploration in an extended edit. I’d love to know more about the feud that stopped the two ageing Ayapaneco speakers talking to each other in the first place. I love a good feud me.