Documentary on Jersey’s Native Language to Premiere at French Festival

A new documentary highlighting Jersey’s traditional language and the campaign to preserve it is set to debut at a film festival in France this weekend.

À Bétôt? Goodbye? focuses on the remaining native speakers of Jèrriais and the growing efforts to keep the language alive for future generations. The feature-length film will premiere at the 13th Parish Film Festival on Saturday, 23 May.

Producer and head of the Jèrriais Teaching Service, Ben Spink, said the documentary was created to preserve the stories and voices of elderly islanders who grew up speaking the language. He explained that many native speakers experienced pressure to abandon Jèrriais during their school years, with some discouraged from passing it on to their children.

The film also explores the role the language continues to play in Jersey’s culture and traditions. Much of the island’s folklore and heritage, the filmmakers argue, can only truly be understood through Jèrriais, making its preservation closely tied to Jersey’s identity.

The documentary was co-directed by local filmmakers Annigna and Tom Kennedy of Little River Pictures. Annigna Kennedy said the interviews recorded for the film would become an important archive for future generations, preserving authentic examples of spoken Jèrriais.

Having moved to Jersey from Switzerland, she said learning the language had strengthened her connection to the island and helped her feel more rooted in her adopted home.

Tom Kennedy said he first became aware of the language’s importance while working at Hamptonne Country Life Museum, where many older visitors spoke Jèrriais naturally in conversation. While he described the decline of the language as sad, he said he was encouraged to hear more children now learning and speaking it together.

The filmmakers hope the documentary will raise awareness that Jèrriais is still actively spoken and remains an important part of Jersey’s cultural heritage.