Tongues of Heaven

Four young indigenous women from Taiwan and Hawai’i share their questions, desires and challenges of learning the language of their forebears—languages that are endangered.
Genre : Documentary
Tongues of Heaven

Set in Taiwan and Hawai‘i, territories where the Austronesian family languages are spoken, TONGUES OF HEAVEN focuses on the questions, desires and challenges of young indigenous peoples to learn the languages of their forebears—languages that are endangered or facing extinction.

Four young indigenous women from divergent backgrounds collaborate and exchange ideas to consider the impact of language on identity and culture. With 96% of the world’s population speaking only 4% of the world’s languages, what does it mean to speak your mother tongue in this age of language homogenization? To put it another way, what do you lose when you lose your native language? These are just some of the questions that these women, with camera in hand, ask themselves, their families and peers.

Co-directors Shin-Lan Yu and An-Chi Chen from Taiwan, and Lei Kainoa Kaupu and Monica Hau‘oli Waiau from Hawai‘i, worked with independent filmmaker Anita Chang and field producer and Native Hawaiian educator Malia Nobrega to create this experimental documentary. TONGUES OF HEAVEN is part of ROOT TONGUE, an interactive documentary platform where participants will be able to explore the challenges of language endangerment and preservation on a personal level by sharing their own perspective through dialogue and creative expression. Users will also be able to access educational and community resources pertaining to language preservation. Visit the website here: http://root-tongue.com

Directors : Anita Chang, An-Chi Chen, Leivallyn Kainoa Kaupu, Monica Hau‘oli Waiau & Shin-Lan Yu
Markets : Documentary
Year Released : 2013
Running Time : 60
Country : US/Taiwan
Original Language : Mandarin/English/Truku/Hawaiian/Rukai/Tsou Kanakanavu

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Explore a gallery of images from "Tongues of Heaven," offering a visual feast that captures the essence of its story.

Awards

Director’s Citation, Black Maria Film & Video Festival

Screenings

Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival
Understanding Taiwan Through Film and Documentaries
Tulane University
University of Oregon
Disappearing Languages, North American Taiwanese Women’s Association
Hualien Railroad Memory House, Taiwan
Empire Reconsidered Seminar, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan
Bay Area Docs, Roxie Theater, San Francisco
Bluelight Cinemas, Cupertino
Intergenerational Language Forum, National Dong Hwa University, Taiwan
Language and World Civilization course, National Chengchi University, Taiwan
Taipei National University of Arts, Taiwan
Pineapple Underground Film Festival, Hong Kong
Maysles Documentary Center, New York
Hawaii International Film Festival
North American Taiwanese Women’s Association
DisOrient Asian American Film Festival of Oregon
Center for Taiwan Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara
Post-Asia Film, Media and Popular Culture, University of Macau
Taipei Artist Village, Taiwan
Hualien Tribal College, Taiwan
Doc Night, New Parkway Theater, Oakland
De Anza College, Cupertino
Taiwan Indigenous Literature & Culture course, National Chung Hsing University, Taiwan
Experimental Media Practice and Theory course, National Taiwan University of Arts
Global/Local Perspectives in the Documentary Tongues of Heaven, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan
Interdisciplinary Austronesian Connections Symposium, University of Hawai‘I at Mānoa
Mediatheque Screenings, Visible Evidence XXII Conference, Toronto
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Tongues of Heaven

Tongues of Heaven

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Set in Taiwan and Hawai‘i, territories where the Austronesian family languages are spoken, TONGUES OF HEAVEN focuses on the questions, desires and challenges of young indigenous peoples to learn the languages of their forebears—languages that are endangered or facing extinction.

Four young indigenous women from divergent backgrounds collaborate and exchange ideas to consider the impact of language on identity and culture. With 96% of the world’s population speaking only 4% of the world’s languages, what does it mean to speak your mother tongue in this age of language homogenization? To put it another way, what do you lose when you lose your native language? These are just some of the questions that these women, with camera in hand, ask themselves, their families and peers.

Co-directors Shin-Lan Yu and An-Chi Chen from Taiwan, and Lei Kainoa Kaupu and Monica Hau‘oli Waiau from Hawai‘i, worked with independent filmmaker Anita Chang and field producer and Native Hawaiian educator Malia Nobrega to create this experimental documentary. TONGUES OF HEAVEN is part of ROOT TONGUE, an interactive documentary platform where participants will be able to explore the challenges of language endangerment and preservation on a personal level by sharing their own perspective through dialogue and creative expression. Users will also be able to access educational and community resources pertaining to language preservation. Visit the website here: http://root-tongue.com

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