Tribeca 2019: PICTURE CHARACTER Clip

A new clip has been released for the documentary Picture Character, premiering at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival which kicked off yesterday. Directed by Ian Cheney and Martha Shane, the film takes a look at the emoji and its history along with its place in our current digital culture. 

Picture Character will have its world premiere at Tribeca on April 28th.

The rapid rise 📈 of emoji (Japanese for “picture character”) is a global 🌍 phenomenon without precedent. Their widespread use and ability to convey complex messages have not only cemented emoji’s place as an emerging digital language 🗣, but prompted difficult questions 🤔 about the creation of a language and digital communication’s fraught ties 😣 to identity and inclusion. In PICTURE CHARACTER, Directors Martha Shane and Ian Cheney lead viewers 👀 on a deep dive into the ever evolving world of picture characters, from their humble beginnings in Japan 🇯🇵 to mobile keyboards 📱 the world 🌎 over, and shed fresh light 💡 on the private consortium 👥 that approves new emoji offerings and the individuals fighting ✊ to make the language more representative of its billions of users.