A new Korean immigrant girl at her first soccer practice in Canada anxiously learns English soccer terms to fit in, but soon realizes she already knew the “language” of the sport when she successfully passes to her teammate, leading to a goal.

Director’s Vision for ‘Language We Know’

I immigrated here with my family when I was 13. At the time I was a self-conscious teenage girl. Adjusting to a new environment with a different language was difficult. The question “will I be able to fit in?” constantly ran through my mind. I still remember my very first P.E. class, the fear of being unable to understand my classmates made me anxious. “Will I let my teammates down because I don’t understand what they’re saying?” Luckily, my peers and teachers made a welcoming space for me to learn, adapt, and accept the fact that I am different.

Coastal Football Club is located in the neighborhood where my family settled when we immigrated to Canada. When I came across the organization, I was inspired by what the organization is striving to achieve: to build an inclusive soccer community with equitable opportunities for everyone. I quickly wrote down a short story based on my personal experiences and pitched it to the club, who then responded with great enthusiasm and agreed to the collaboration.

With a strong passion for the story, the entire film was self-funded by myself and the cinematographer Christian Lai. Throughout the entire process of bringing this film to life, we’ve worked with people from various cultural backgrounds, and with people who speak different languages. The most amazing about the entire experience was that we reaffirm the beauty of sport – the universal language of soccer. Both crew and cast would play soccer when they were on breaks on set, whether or not they knew each other before.

This is a very special film that connected us all. We didn’t need to try to fit in with one another – we are already on the same playing field.