The Alsatian Language Preservation Project
In the 1840s Henri Castro recruited Alsatian families to establish communities west of San Antonio. Through the years the immigrants assimilated into American culture and used their Alsatian language less and less. In late 2021, a small group of descendants set out to preserve the Texas Alsatian dialect by filming the language as it was spoken.
We cast a net across the Castro Colonies to find Alsatian speakers, but found half the number we’d hoped — exclaiming the need for this production. This film is punctuated by Texas history, colored by humor, adorned with humanity, and symbolizes the ongoing effort to chase the American dream while honoring your ancestry.
The Alsatian Movie
The Alsatian Archive
Filming five groups of Alsatian speakers and creating an archive of over 100 stories is an exceptionally heavy lift. These first 40 chapters feature the first group. We’ll be adding additional groups and stories over the coming weeks.
Pay it Forward
If the Alsatian Language Preservation Project had been commissioned by an outside party, and every person compensated for their time and efforts, the production costs would have exceeded $100,000.
In the spirit of making the Alsatian language accessible to all, we’re making this content free to the public. Please consider making a donation to the Castro Colonies Heritage Association to continue preserving this history.
The Alsatian Behind the Scenes
While filming the Alsatian speakers I had little idea what they were saying. After filming, volunteers sat down with the storytellers and had them explain in English, word for word, what they said in Alsatian. Upon loading the transcript into my editing software, I understood the conversations that had taken place in front of my cameras for the first time.
Editing content in your native language is time-consuming. Editing content by captions takes a whole other level of patience. Producing a movie like this is extraordinarily rare, so I recorded a small part of the process to show some behind the scenes of how I worked.
The Production Company
We are fortunate to live in a time and place in history where we have the opportunity to capture our stories at such an exceptional level for posterity. Since 2009, I’ve been helping non-actors be themselves and speak from the heart on camera. Movies aren’t just for celebrities anymore, and I’ve developed these production levels below for families just like mine and yours.
Captured Legacy Film
Tier 1
Expertly-captured stories with perfected audio and aesthetics, delivered exactly as it was told.
Chaptered Legacy Film
Tier 2
Captured and chaptered. Every single story told is organized into topic-based chapters so you’re instantly immersed in the story you need to hear the most.
Treasured Legacy Film
Tier 3
Captured, chaptered, and treasured. The ultimate gift: a beautiful Feature film incorporating custom content, old photos, and purposeful story structure. All keeper-content delivered in topic-based chapter clips ready to deliver that feeling of connection.