Language is a short documentary film created in The Representation Project’s 2021 Youth Media Academy. Three young adults living in different parts of the world share their relationship to language and how it affects their experience of community and connection to the people they know. The stories are accompanied by the sole visual of scrapbooked subtitles — the words are clippings from magazine covers and online ads.
Film Festival Acceptances: Home Is Distant Shores Film Festival
CALLS TO ACTION
Questions for discussion following the viewing:
- Does language play a part in identity? Why or why not?
- What language barriers have appeared in your life, and how did they make you feel?
- Do all languages hold value or only those that are widely spoken?
- How is language important in the present world, as well as the past?
- Is language important to you? Why or why not?
Feeling Inspired? Please consider selecting at least one of the following to bring about positive change in our society.
Calls to Action for Language
* Step outside your language or culture. Try learning about a different culture, whether similar or different to your own, and learn a few phrases in a different language.
* Be considerate and educate yourself. If you don’t know how to pronounce a word or name from a different language, take steps to learn proper pronunciation. It only takes a few minutes to learn more about and respect other people’s languages and cultures.
* Practice mindfulness and social awareness—Migrants and immigrants from foreign countries to the United States often face discrimination and hardships upon arrival. Being aware of racial and cultural prejudice equips you with the tools to more readily defend the rights of discriminated peoples.