Movie
Saved by Language
Can a language save your life? Yes it can, even an ancient one from the 15th century. Saved by Language tells the story of Moris Albahari, a Sephardic Jew from Sarajevo (born 1930), who spoke Ladino/Judeo-Spanish, his mother tongue, to survive the Holocaust. Moris used Ladino to communicate with an Italian Colonel who helped him escape to a Partizan refuge after he ran away from the train taking Yugoslavian Jews to Nazi death camps. By speaking in Ladino to a Spanish-speaking US pilot in 1944 he was able to survive and lead the pilot, along with his American and British colleagues, to a safe Partizan airport.
Availability
Not streaming in United States
Checked Jul 22, 2026
Saved by Language opened in theaters January 15, 2015. We don't have a confirmed streaming, rental or purchase option yet.
Synopsis
Can a language save your life? Yes it can, even an ancient one from the 15th century. Saved by Language tells the story of Moris Albahari, a Sephardic Jew from Sarajevo (born 1930), who spoke Ladino/Judeo-Spanish, his mother tongue, to survive the Holocaust. Moris used Ladino to communicate with an Italian Colonel who helped him escape to a Partizan refuge after he ran away from the train taking Yugoslavian Jews to Nazi death camps. By speaking in Ladino to a Spanish-speaking US pilot in 1944 he was able to survive and lead the pilot, along with his American and British colleagues, to a safe Partizan airport.
Available now in United States
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More about Saved by Language
Cast
Credits
- Directed by
- Bryan Kirschen, Susanna Zaraysky
- Written by
- Bryan Kirschen, Susanna Zaraysky
Production details
- Status
- Released
- Original language
- English
- Budget
- $15K
Production
- Saved by Language ProductionsUnited States