Tongues of Heaven / Root Tongue Interactive at UC Berkeley

Join filmmaker Anita Chang in Berkeley on Thursday, August 31st for a screening of TONGUES OF HEAVEN, followed by discussion + ROOT TONGUE exhibition! Free and open to the public.

The Taiwan Council of Indigenous Peoples and UCB Native American Studies program are hosting the event.

Set in Taiwan and Hawai’i, 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. Using digital video as the primary medium of expression, four young indigenous women from divergent backgrounds collaborate and exchange ideas to consider the impact of language on identity and culture.

ROOT TONGUE is an app that engages audiences motivated by the stories and issues raised in the film TONGUES OF HEAVEN. Clips from the documentary and companion questions allow users to explore the challenges of language endangerment and preservation by sharing their own stories through dialogue and creative uploads of their videos, images, audio and writings. Users can also access educational and community resources pertaining to language preservation.