- President James Madison
Select Films on Immigration
Hollywood comes to Washington. The lives and treatment of immigrants have been the focus of numerous, critically acclaimed films during the last several years. Some address the conditions under which immigrants live; others their entrepreneurial spirit; and a few more the very real legal barriers and hurdles immigrants face every day. These films illustrate, one way or another, why our broken system needs reform.
We encourage you see these films with friends, co-workers, and family members. Consider forming a community or living room screening on behalf of Immigrants’ List, where you can discuss the film and how Immigrants’ List is promoting reform. IL can provide advice and ideas on how to conduct a successful screening.
Immigrants’List is hosting a series of community screenings of The Visitor to help community members learn about the stark realities of the current immigration system and why the system needs immediate and sweeping reform. The critically acclaimed film will be shown at four locations in the fall 2009, including New York City, San Jose, Miami, and Washington, DC. Other screenings are being planned. Each screening will be followed by a short discussion of the film and of the very real immigration consequences as portrayed by it.
In The Visitor, an American college professor and a young immigrant couple grapple with the treatment of immigrants and the legal process post-9/11. Considered one of the best reviewed films of the year, it puts a remarkably human face on the issue of mandatory immigrant detention and speaks to a wide and diverse range of audiences.
The screenings are part of Immigrants’List’s national campaign to raise awareness of the need for immediate and comprehensive immigration reform and to ensure that that reform includes the restoration of due process and fundamental fairness for all individuals living in the United States. The Visitor’s exceptionally compelling story highlights, in particular, the harm caused by mandatory detention and the paucity of relief available to deserving individuals.
Muna, a single mother leaves the West Bank with Fadi, her teenage son, with dreams of an exciting future in the promise land of small town Illinois. As her son navigates high school hallways the way he used to move through military checkpoints, the indomitable Muna scrambles together a new life cooking up falafel burgers as well as hamburgers at the local White Castle.
Honduran teenager Sayra (Gaitan) reunites with her father, an opportunity for her to potentially realize her dream of a life in the U.S. Riding the trains through Mexico is part of their fateful journey of unexpected events.
On the lonely roads of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, two men forge an improbable friendship that will change both of their lives forever. Solo is a Senegalese cab driver working to provide a better life for his young family. William is a tough Southern good ol’ boy with a lifetime of regrets. One man’s American dream is just beginning, while the other’s is quickly winding down. Despite their differences, both men soon realize they need each other more than either is willing to admit. Through this unlikely but unforgettable friendship,Goodbye Solodeftly explores the passing of a generation as well as the rapidly changing face of America.
In this romantic comedy, a pushy boss (played by Sandra Bullock) forces her young assistant to marry her in order to keep her visa status in the U.S. and avoid deportation to Canada.
Frozen River is set in the days before Christmas near a little-known border crossing on the Mohawk reservation between New York State and Quebec. Here, the lure of fast money from smuggling presents a daily challenge to single moms who would otherwise be earning minimum wage. Two women - one white, one Mohawk, faced with desperate circumstances - are drawn into the world of border smuggling across the frozen water of the St. Lawrence River.
A boy crosses the Mexican/US border to reunite with his mother who is living in Los Angele proving that the love between a mother and son has no boundaries
Filmmakers Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden (Half Nelson) weave this introspective sports drama concerning a talented Dominican baseball player who longs to break into the American big league and earn the money needed to support his impoverished family. Miguel Santos is a talented pitcher who might just have what it takes to earn a prized spot on a Major League Baseball team, but before that happens he’ll have to prove his worth in the minor leagues. Advancing into the United States’ minor league system at the tender age of 19, Miguel is warmly welcomed into the small-town Iowa home of his host family, but can’t help but struggle with language and cultural barriers despite the kindness of strangers. Subsequently forced to reevaluate his life’s ambition after his once-trusty arm becomes unreliable, the previously single-minded pitcher gradually begins to question both the world he lives in and the role he has chosen to play in it.
Made in L.A. follows the remarkable story of three Latina immigrants working in Los Angeles garment sweatshops as they embark on a three-year odyssey to win basic labor protections from a mega-trendy clothing retailer. In intimate verité style, Made in L.A. reveals the impact of the struggle on each woman’s life as they are gradually transformed by the experience. Compelling, humorous, deeply human, Made in L.A. is a story about immigration, the power of unity, and the courage it takes to find your voice.
Underground America: Narratives of Undocumented Lives
They arrive from around the world for countless reasons. Many come simply to make a living. Others are fleeing persecution in their native countries. Millions of immigrants risk deportation and imprisonment by living in the U.S. without legal status. They are living underground, with little protection from exploitation at the hands of human smugglers, employers, or law enforcement. Underground America presents the remarkable oral histories of men and women struggling to carve a life for themselves in the U.S.
