A DOCUMENTARY exploring Jersey’s endangered language is to be screened in parish halls across the Island this autumn following a sell-out premiere at the Jersey Arts Centre.

À bétôt? Goodbye? tells the story of efforts to revive Jèrriais and received a standing ovation when it premiered earlier this year.

The feature-length film, which was co-directed by local filmmakers Annigna and Tom Kennedy of Little River Pictures and produced by Ben Spink of L’Office du Jèrriais, also won the Audience Award at this year’s 13th Parish Film Festival.

Mr Spink said the response to the documentary had “exceeded all our expectations”.

“We made À bétôt? to reach as many Islanders as possible and to share the story of Jèrriais with a wider audience,” he said.

“Seeing the premiere sell out and receiving such a positive reaction from viewers was incredibly rewarding.

“We’re now looking forward to taking the film around the Island and meeting audiences in every parish.”

The 99-minute documentary, told in Jèrriais, explores the history of the language through people who have spoken it across generations.

Jèrriais has experienced a dramatic decline in the number of speakers in recent decades, and the film looks at the challenges facing the language alongside efforts to revitalise it.

The film also highlights Islanders working to preserve Jèrriais as part of Jersey’s cultural heritage and identity, while encouraging a new generation to learn, speak and support the language.

Each screening will be followed by a question-and-answer session with the filmmakers and producer and English subtitles will be shown throughout the film.

All screenings are free and begin at 6pm and places can be booked through Eventbrite.

Screening dates

Dates for the remaining parishes will be announced shortly.