Emilie Frei
The Language Between Us
Belgium (RITCS (Royal Institute for Theatre, Cinema and Sound) School of Arts in Brussels)

competing for the PRIX EUROPA 2024 - Rising Star AUDIO

What happens when words disappear, but the need to connect remains?
The Language Between Us is a documentary that explores how communication transforms when speech is lost. Inspired by my grandmother’s sudden aphasia after a stroke, the work investigates how families and loved ones reinvent language through gestures, sounds, pauses and silences when words are no longer reliable.
At its core, The Language Between Us is a reflection on the essence of communication. It raises ethical questions about representation: how to give voice to someone who struggles to speak, and how to acknowledge the imbalance between storyteller and subject. By openly addressing these tensions, the documentary makes space for vulnerability, dignity and empathy.
In times when society is increasingly defined by speed and fluency, The Language Between Us slows down and listens differently. It invites the audience to reflect on how language shapes our identities, our relationships and our very sense of being in the world.