Inspired by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris’s much-loved book The Lost Words , this lyrical and beautiful documentary takes the form of a poetic journey through language and landscape.
“ It took around three years to make - six months of that just on the sound design, which is vital to the whole experience .” Hannah Papacek Harper
When the Oxford Junior Dictionary quietly dropped a handful of words - such as acorn, otter, willow and wren - poet and author Robert Macfarlane and painter and illustrator Jackie Morris were inspired to create The Lost Words: A Spell Book ; a work that stands against the disappearance of a wild childhood.
Filmmaker Hannah Papacek Harper came across footage of Jackie Morris painting otter while reciting Robert MacFarlane’s poetry, and had the idea of turning these collaborations into a film. The result is a rare visual, audio, and musical experience which weaves together voices of scientists, artists, children, and people living with Alzheimer’s in order to reflect on language, memory, and our relationship to nature.
Runtime: 92m