Films
Film is an excellent cultural sensitivity tool. Some which have been used with great success are listed below and can be rented from Netflix or purchased online. Agencies interested in using film may want to borrow others from CJ’s video library.
A Better Life (2011)
This Oscar nominated film features a Latino immigrant working as a gardener in East L.A. He struggles to keep his son away from gangs and immigration agents while trying to give him the opportunities he never had. Learn more and watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1554091/
Not in Our Town: Light in the Darkness (2011)
This PBS documentary tells the story of residents of a Long Island village taking action after a local immigrant is killed in a hate crime attack by seven teenagers. While starkly revealing the trauma of hate, the film provides a blueprint for people who want to do something before intolerance turns to violence. http://www.niot.org/lightinthedarkness.
The Other Side of Immigration (2011)
Based on over 700 interviews, The Other Side of Immigration asks why so many Mexicans leave home to work in the United States and what happens to the families and communities they leave behind. Through an approach that is both subtle and thought provoking, The Other Side of Immigration challenges audiences to imagine more creative and effective solutions to the immigration issue. For more information visit http://www.theothersideofimmigration.com
Children in No Man’s Land
This 2009 documentary uncovers the current plight of the 100,000 unaccompanied minors entering the United States every year. Through the retelling of these young people’s experiences one sees the environment and circumstances that motivates these youngsters’ desperate decisions. Regardless of where one stands on the immigration debate, this documentary works as a good starting point to open up the discussion on immigration issues and policy in the United States.” To view a tráiler or for more info, visit http://impactofilms.com/cinml/ or email ImpactoFilms@hotmail.com. The DVD is available to community / grassroots organizations for $85 plus $10 shipping and handling. Running time: 40 minutes in color with English and Spanish subtitles.
Latinos in America
CNN’s Soledad O’Brien, hosted this two part documentary in October 2009; videos, transcripts and other related information can be found at: http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2009/latino.in.america/
I’m American! They’re Not! (2008)
This documentary by Linda Ellerbee, Nick News, is about immigrant parents who come to America without documents and are deported, while their children, born here, are American citizens who can’t be sent back to their parent’s country of origin (Mexico). Children, parents, immigration officials and others comment on the complex issue, which is at once touchy, political and emotional. View the 25 minute video at:
http://www.nick.com/videos/clip/im-american-theyre-not-full-episode.html
9500Liberty
Now a feature-length documentary, 9500Liberty (2008-9)began as an “Interactive Documentary” on YouTube about the politicization of the immigration issue in Prince William County, Virginia. It you there as the County becomes ground zero in America’s explosive battle over immigration policy when elected officials adopt a law requiring police officers to question anyone they have “probable cause” to suspect is an undocumented immigrant. A must-see for anyone interested in local politics, immigration policy, or the combustible mix of the two. www.youtube.com/user/9500Liberty To learn about where the movie is being shown, visit http://www.9500liberty.com
Video: Codewords of Hate
In this 2008 video produced by the National Council of La Raza, ADL’s Stacy Burdett discusses the how some media commentators, pundits and others have fueled the scapegoating and demonizing of immigrants, and particularly Hispanics, as part of the national debate over immigration reform. The video can be viewed at http://www.adl.org/Civil_Rights/immigration.asp
De Nadie
Director Tin Dirdamal’s powerful documentary, an award winner at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, accompanies several Central American immigrants — armed with nothing but hope and the dream of a better life — on their 1,300-mile trek through Mexico to the United States. This intimate look at immigration lets politics take a backseat to the resonant narratives of those struggling to survive a journey marked by hardship and hypocrisy. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0451698/
Dying to Live: A Migrant’s Journey
The 30 minute film released in 2005 explores immigration by turning to those most deeply and directly affected by immigration along the U.S.-Mexico border: the immigrants themselves. Alongside prominent theologians, congressional leaders and activists, the film features Mexican immigrants sharing their own stories and their reasons for migrating. The film can be ordered at http://dyingtolive.nd.edu/ Clips of the film can also be viewed.
Senora de la Cruz
This 16 minute DVD (or VHS) movie is an important tool for educating the Latino population about their right to an interpreter and for underscoring the importance of interpreters to service providers. The movie is produced by Baltimore HealthCare Access and can be ordered by contacting Tracy Kodeck at (410) 649-0510. Click here for a Baltimore Sun article about the movie.
G.I. Jesus
This 2006 film, shown at the Virginia Film Festival in October, “targets the exploitation of immigrant soldiers and the psychological costs of the Iraq war, among other social issues. Jesus is a Mexican citizen who joins the Military to become a legal citizen of the United States.” He felt becoming an American would better himself and his family. This was his chance. The U.S. military told him this was the right thing, so he went and he fought. “After returning from a tour of combat in Iraq, he watches his American dream turn into a nightmare as he struggles to hold his family together in a country obsessed with materialism and conspicuous consumption. Provocative, intelligent, and funny, G.I. Jesus makes a strong case for crossing the border in the opposite direction.” For data on Latino soldiers in Iraq, see Latinos In Iraq. For a movie review, visit: http://www.dailybulletin.com/entertainment/ci_5087275
La Ciudad
This PBS documentary by David Riker presents a narrative snapshot of a side of New York that is rarely seen: the city of illegal immigrants, the homeless, seasonal workers, sweatshops, and laborers from Manhattan’s Latin American neighborhoods. An intensive collaboration with the immigrant community over a five-year period has resulted in a complex four-part narrative in which the subjects of the film are its principal actors. Set in the present day, the film follows four separate stories of immigrant life. A young laborer, scavenging for bricks, is killed when a wall collapses; two teenagers from the same village fall in love, then lose each other in a housing project; a homeless father tries to enroll his daughter in school; a young garment worker seeks justice in the sweatshops. For more info visit http://www.pbs.org/itvs/thecity/index.html.
El Norte (The North)
This film tells the story of two Guatemalan siblings fleeing their homeland for the safety and promise of the United States, after their father is murdered and their mother vanishes, both at the hands of the ruling military regime. The 1983 film is still timely because it addresses the suffering of being Latino in the U.S.
A Day Without a Mexican
The 2004 comedy by Sergio Arau, son of Like Water for Chocolate director Alfonso Arau, ponders the potentially catastrophic results that would occur if California-based Mexicans, who make up over a third of the state’s population, were to suddenly disappear. It shows how the lack of Latino gardeners, nannies, cooks, policeman, maids, teachers, farm workers, construction crews, entertainers, athletes, and the world’s largest growing consumer market would create a social, political, and economic disaster, leaving the concept of the “California Dream” in shambles.