thumbnail image
  • HOME
  • FESTIVALS
  • TRAILER
  • ABOUT
  • WATCH
  • PRESS
  • ⭐️⭐️ Our Viewers ⭐️⭐️
  • EVENTS
  • FESTIVALS
  • CREW
  • CONTACT
  • MAILING LIST
  • FOLLOW
  • FESTIVALS
    • THE EMOJI STORY

      A Documentary Entirely About Emoji

      Premiered at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival as Picture Character

    • A GLIMPSE INTO THE HILARIOUS WORLD OF EMOJI

      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 THE EMOJI STORY, 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.

    • Watch

      VIDEO ON DEMAND PAY-PER-VIEW

      Now streaming on Hulu!

      Amazon Prime Video

      AppleTV

      Altavod

      Microsoft Store / XBOX

      Vudu 
      (Also available on Comcast, Spectrum, Cox)

    • IN THE PRESS

      📰🗞 📰🗞 📰🗞

      "Whimsical but thoughtful."

      The Boston Globe

      The Emoji Story Review

      Ars Technica

       

      'Picture Character': Film Review

      The Hollywood Reporter

       

      Documentary 'Picture Character' Demystifies Creation Process for More Inclusive Emoji

      Now This News

       

      Picture Character gives faces to the mysterious emoji creation process 

      The Verge

       
      Don't See Yourself on Your Emoji Keyboard? She Can Help
      Wired
       
      I'll Choose My Own Emojis, Thank You Very Much
      Bloomberg
       
      Emoji Documentary Reveals Bureaucracy and a Lack of Transparency in Character Creation
      Adweek
       
      Picturing the Future
      The New Republic
    • ⭐️⭐️ Our Viewers ⭐️⭐️

      "It feels like these small graphics have traveled a long way to tell different stories."

       

      "There are some people who are trying hard to fill the monotonous life of people with joy, colours and emotions. It’s a beautiful thing to think."

       

      -Harvard CS50x students

    • VIRTUaL EVENTS

      The Emoji Story Documentary Screening

      March 16, 2021 18:00 CET

       

      The Emoji Story: A Documentary Screening and Q&A

      Professional Association of Design

      Feb 18, 2021 6-8pm EST

       

      The Emoji Story: A Live Q&A

      MOMA

      Feb 17, 2021 7:30 EST

       

      Screening and Q&A

      Harvard c50 (authentication required)

      Feb 13, 2021 1–3pm EST

       

      The Emoji Story: A Film Screening and Conversation About Food and Representation​

      MOFAD

      Feb 12, 2021 8-9pm EST

    • FESTIVAL SCREENINGS

      2019 Screenings

      Traverse City Film Festival

      Traverse City, Michigan

      Buy Tickets

      Sunday, July 29, 2019 at 6:00 PM

      The Kubrick at Central Grade School 301 Seventh St, Traverse City, MI 49684

      Wednesday, July 31, 2019 at 12:00 PM

      Central High School Auditorium 1150 Milliken Dr, Traverse City, MI 49686

      Sunday, August 4, 2019 at 9:00 AM

      City Opera House Q97G+GM Traverse City, Peninsula Township, MI

      Get Tickets

       

      Woods Hole Film Festival

      Woods Hole, Massachusetts

      Buy Tickets

      Saturday, July 27, 2019 at 8:00 PM

      Old Woods Hole Fire Station 72 Water St, Woods Hole, MA 02543

      Get Tickets

       

      Taormina Film Festival

      Taormina, Province of Messina, Italy

      Buy Tickets

      Wednesday, July 3, 2019 at 10:00 AM at Sala A

      98039 Taormina, Province of Messina, Italy

      Get Tickets

       

      AFI Docs Film Festival

      Washington, DC

      Buy Tickets

      Saturday June 22, 2019 at 12:15 PM

      AFI Silver Theater 3, 8633 Colesville Rd, Silver Spring, MD 20910

      Get Tickets

      Sunday June 23, 2019 at 3:30 PM

      Landmark E Street 6, 555 11th St NW, Washington, DC 20004

      Get Tickets

       

      Sydney Film Festival

      Sydney, Australia

      Buy Tickets

      Monday, June 10, 2019 at 4:15 PM

      Dendy Newtown Cinema Hall, 261-263 King St, Newtown NSW 2042, Australia

      Get Tickets

      Saturday, June 15, 2019 at 5:15 PM

      Dendy Opera Quays Cinema 1, Shop 9, 2 East, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia

      Get Tickets

       

      Tribeca Film Festival

      New York, New York

      Buy Tickets

      Sunday, April 28, 2019 at 1:00 PM at SVA1-Silas – WORLD PREMIERE

      SVA, Silas, 333 West 23rd Street, New York, NY | between 8th & 9th Avenues

      Tuesday, April 30, 2019 at 5:45 PM at VEC-03 - 2nd Screening

      Location: Village East Cinema, 181-189 2nd Ave., New York, NY | between 11th & 12th Streets

      Thursday, May 2, 2019 at 6:30 PM at REGAL-05 - 3rd Screening

      Regal Cinemas Battery Park Stadium 11

      102 North End Avenue, New York, NY | between Vesey and Murray

      Sunday, May 5, 2019 at 2:00 PM at VEC-02 - 4th Screening

      Village East Cinema, 181-189 2nd Ave. New York, NY | between 11th & 12th Streets

      Get Tickets

      2020 Screenings

      2020 Heartland International Film Festival

      Indianapolis, Indiana

      Buy Tickets

      Available October 8, 12:00 PM - October 25, 2:00 PM, 2020

      Watch now in our online Virtual Festival

       

      LIVE VIRTUAL Q&A: October 9 at 8:00 pm EDT

      Hear from the cast and crew of each Documentary Official Selection film as HIFF leads a Q&A with the filmmakers. Watch it live to get a chance to ask your questions in the chat window.

       

      Lake Country Film Festival

      Oconomowoc, Wisconsin

      Buy Tickets

      Available November 4 - 16, 2020

      All titles will be available on our virtual streaming platform, Seed&Spark.

      Live Q&A with the filmmakers on Nov 11, 2020 10PM-11PM CST

       

      Three Rivers Film Festival

      Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

      Buy Tickets

      Available November 11 - 22, 2020

      Watch with our online Virtual Festival

       

      Milano Design Festival

      Milan, Italy

      Buy Tickets

      Available November 6 - 9, 2020

      Watch with our online Virtual Festival

       

      SF Doc Festival

      San Francisco, CA

      Buy Tickets

      Available September 3 - 20, 2020

      Watch our online Virtual Festival

       

      Castlemaine Documentary Film Festival

      Castlemaine, Australia

      Buy Tickets

      Available in Australia and New Zealand for an online appointment

      July 17-19, 2020

       

      Doc Edge Festival

      Auckland, New Zealand

      Buy Tickets

      Tuesday 16th June, 1230pm NZT - 1st Screening

      Tuesday 23rd June, 1230pm NZT - 2nd Screening

      Tuesday 30th June, 1230pm NZT - 3rd Screening

       

      Oxford Film Festival

      Oxford, Mississippi

      Buy Tickets

      Available May 1-30, 2020

      Available with online streaming

       

      Cleveland International Film Festival

      Cleveland, Ohio

      Buy Tickets

      Available April 15-28, 2020

      Watch with online streaming

       

      Durango Film Festival

      Durango, Colorado

      Buy Tickets

      Thursday, March 5, 2020 at 9:30 AM at Gaslight Twin Cinema - 1st Screening

      Friday, March 6, 2020 at 3:00 PM at Durango Stadium - 2nd Screening

       

      Local Virtual Theatrical Screenings

      (thanks to @HomeArts)

       

      Hot Docs at Home

       

      Film Streams

      Omaha, NE

      Streaming December 25, 2020

       

      The Roxie in San Francisco

      San Francisco, CA

      Streaming December 18, 2020

       

      The Broadway

      Salt Lake City, UT

      Streaming December 18, 2020

       

      The Coolidge Corner

      Boston, MA

      Streaming December 18, 2020

       

      Amherst Cinema

      Amherst, MA

      Streaming December 18, 2020

       

      Chelsea Theater

      Chapel Hill, NC

      Streaming December 18, 2020

       

      Grail Moviehouse

      Asheville, NC Streaming December 18, 2020

       

    • CAST AND CREW

      Directors: Martha Shane, Ian Cheney
      Producers: Jennifer 8. Lee, Ian Cheney, Martha Shane
      Associate Producer: Margaux Sax
      Cinematographers: Emily Topper, Ian Cheney, Lucy Martens
      Composers: Simon Beins, Ben Fries
      Editor: Frederick Shanahan
       
      Executive Producers: Fred Benenson, Peter Friedland
      Co-Producers: Christian Deonier, Eric T. Lee, Morwin Schmookler, Joshua Elkes, Eric Dash
      Associate Producers: Greg Brockman, Adam J. Goldstein, David J. McCarthy, Albert Ni, Debo Olaosebikan, David Phantana, Matthew Prince Steven Willis, Tim Wu, Joshua Yguado

      Martha Shane

      Director and Producer

      Martha Shane is an Emmy Award-winning director and producer of documentaries. Her directorial debut After Tiller premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival to critical acclaim. Theatrically released by Oscilloscope Laboratories, After Tiller was broadcast on PBS in 2014 and won an Emmy for Best Documentary. Most recently, she produced the award-winning From This Day Forward, which was released theatrically and broadcast on PBS in 2016.

       

      Ian Cheney

      Director and Producer

      Ian is an Emmy-nominated and Peabody Award-winning documentary filmmaker. He received Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Yale University, and his films include King Corn (2007),The Greening of Southie (2008), Truck Farm (2010), The City Dark (2011), The Search for General Tso (2014), Bluespace (2015) and The Most Unknown (2018). He helms the independent production company Wicked Delicate and is a lecturer at Yale College.

      Jennifer 8. Lee

      Producer

      Jennifer 8. Lee is co-founder and CEO of Plympton, a San Francisco-based literary studio that innovates in digital publishing. A former New York Times reporter, Jenny is a producer of “The Search for General Tso” (2014) and the author of the New York Times-bestselling book, The Fortune Cookie Chronicles (Twelve, 2008). Jenny is vice-chair of the Unicode a Emoji Subcommittee and was one of Fast Company's Most Creative People in business in 2017 as well as a Esquire Women We Love in 2003. Jenny graduated with a degree in Applied Math and Economics from Harvard

      Frederick Shanahan

      Editor

      Frederick is a film editor based in New York City. He has worked on several award-winning documentaries, including the Emmy-nominated feature, The City Dark, which aired on PBS POV in 2012, The Search for General Tso, which premiered at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival, The Birth of Sake, which premiered at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival in the feature documentary competition, and From This Day Forward, which premiered at the 2015 Full Frame Film Festival and will air on PBS POV in the summer of 2016. He currently lives in Brooklyn, NY.

    • Contact us

      Submit
    • Join our Mailing List

      Join!
    • Or Follow Us

      Facebook

      Cookie Use
      We use cookies to ensure a smooth browsing experience. By continuing we assume you accept the use of cookies.
      Learn More