A second-generation Chinese American woman connects to her roots by piecing together the memory of her mother’s last days, when the Alzheimer’s disease stripped away their common language.

Mother Tongue is a student film from NYU Tisch Grad Film.

*Some Chinese dialogue does not have English subtitles for artistic purpose.

Credits

  • Eris Qian Director
  • Eris Qian Writer
  • Jenny Lin Key Cast “Lisa Lin”
  • Min-Wen Huang Key Cast “Mother Lin” Talking to My Mother
  • Kevin Wang Producer Secret Lives of Asians at Night
  • Prashanth Kamalakanthan Director of Photography House Plants
  • Qingling Zhang Production Designer Death on the Nile, Bond 25
  • Narim Kim Original Music Meet Miss Anxiety
  • Yingjia “Lemon” Guo Original Music

Specifications

  • Project Title (Original Language): 母语
  • Project Type: Short
  • Genres: Drama, Female, Women, Asian, Asian American
  • Runtime: 9 minutes 52 seconds
  • Completion Date: September 15, 2019
  • Production Budget: 25,000 USD
  • Country of Origin: United States
  • Country of Filming: United States
  • Language: Chinese, English
  • Shooting Format: Digital
  • Aspect Ratio: 1:2.35
  • Film Color: Color
  • First-time Filmmaker: Yes
  • Student Project: Yes

Screenings / Awards

  • CAAMFest Online: Heritage at Home San Francisco (virtual)
    United States
    May 20, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Diaspora Film Festival Incheon
    Korea, Republic of
    September 13, 2020
    Asia Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Silicon Valley Asian Pacific Film Festival San Jose, CA
    United States
    October 5, 2020
    Official Selection

News & Reviews