‘t Paradiis
Three dialects are still spoken on the island of Terschelling, but the number of speakers is rapidly declining.
What is lost when a language disappears, and what emerges when people bring it back to life?
't Paradiis is a cinematic audio installation and will premiere during Oerol Festival from 12 to 21 June 2026.
Cinematography: Heleen Haijtema
Director: Babette Rijkhoff
Binne wi de leste? Bin wi de lêste? Binne we de leste?
While recording the stories, Babette was assisted by twenty-five children from the island. Armed with questions they had come up with themselves, they travelled across the island to interview dialect speakers.
The conversations were not only about language, but about everything language evokes: memories, pride, shame, family ties, and the feeling of belonging — or not belonging. In doing so, something valuable emerged: genuine connections between generations and the preservation of first-hand stories about culture, identity, and community.
The dialects of Terschelling are more than a collection of words. They carry stories, memories, and a way of seeing the world. In 't Paradiis, we meet the people behind the language.
Premiere & Tour
't Paradiis will premiere at Oerol Festival in 2026, where the documentary installation will be presented in its entirety for the first time at De Tonnenloods.
The project will also be screened at Schylger Jouw and De Stilen, where young islanders and dialect speakers come together around the same questions explored in the films: What do we pass on? What do we lose? And what remains when a language slowly disappears?
After Oerol, 't Paradiis will tour museums, festivals, and cultural institutions across the Netherlands. There, the project will take on a new life as an installation that not only tells the story of language loss, but also of a deeply human desire: to hold on to something before it disappears forever.
't Paradiis has been made possible with the support of:
With the interviews recorded by the children, I headed into the editing room. But as often happens, many wonderful stories, funny moments, and memorable remarks were left on the cutting-room floor — not because they weren't valuable, but simply because they didn't fit into the final documentary.
I didn't want those stories to be lost. So I approached De Terschellinger, the island's weekly newspaper, with the idea of publishing one of these interviews each week. In this way, the conversations are given a second life on paper.
Stories Beyond the Film
Credits
Director
Babette Rijkhoff
Cinematography
Heleen Haijtema
Music
Onegg
Interviews
Sem, Feija, Hesse, Jette, Kris, Sjors, Rikst, Linde, Amber, Felien, Thijs, Roos Celien, Fardau, Valerie, Liese, Norah, Eveline, Kiki, Meike, Nessa, Maileen, Jilles, Boris, and Nel
Editing Consultant
Jennifer Pettersson
Sound Mix
Chiel Verbakel
Lead Partner
Foundation for the Preservation and Vitality of the Mimmetaal
Funding Applications
David Passenier
Special Thanks To
Neeke van Zwol, Annie Feenstra, Brock Sampson, Brenda Collens, Marijke Collens, Oene de Jong, Nienke Zorgdrager, Jacob van der Pol, Annette Dekker, Jonna van der Pol, Valerie van der Pol, Nelleke Stada, Gonda Stada, Marina Dijksman Bos, Klasien Broersma Bos, Jorn van der Veen, Richard van der Veen, Maaike Deelstra - van der Veen, Anja van der Veen, Martha Roos, Sil Roos, Edith Roos, Edy van Sijp, Lobke Visser Muyskens, Sjoukje Reinigert, Saskia Pals, Nel Spanjer †, Baukje Schaap †, Gré Hogenberg †, Trinie Martens, Cor Swart, Schylger Jouw, Dirk-Jan van Schie, Nynke Spanjer, Lesley van Brummelen, Walter Visser, Pieter Bierman, West Aleta Singers, Makers van het Meslânzer Woordenboek, Meslânzer Ceumedyspelers, Stephanie Luka, Terschelling TV, Gerrit-Jan Moes, Wiemet Wortel van Noordsvaarderij Huifkartochten Terschelling, Bouke Groen, Fries Film & Audio Archief, Menno Stok, Joris Stok, Jill Stok, Kiki Slinger, Jet de Graaf, Marike Roos, Sonja Dijkstra, Rits Sixma, Wieke Sixma, Rick Woudenberg, Tjitske Faber, Weekblad De Terschellinger and everyone who shared their language story with us.
