A Bolivian Family Affected by Globalization
Runtime: 9:30

Clip from UPROOTED: Refugees of the Global Economy, by National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights with Sasha Khokha, Ulla Nilsen, Jon Fromer, and Francisco Herrera (2001).

This clip explores the relationship between the global free-trade economy and migration. It features the impact of free-trade policies on Jessy and Jaime's family business in Bolivia. As a result of economic collapse in Bolivia, due at least in part to globalization and free-trade policies, Jessy and Jamie - professional technical engineers by training - are forced to come to the United States and work as janitors in order to support their family.

UPROOTED: Refugees of the Global Economy is a compelling documentary about how the global economy has forced people to leave their home countries. To order the complete film from NNIRR click here.

From Latin America to North Carolina
Runtime: 3:34

Clip from Nuestra Comunidad: Latinos in North Carolina, by Joanne Hershfield and Penny Simpson (New South Productions, 2001).

All the interviewees in this clip discuss the influx of Latinos into North Carolina. Each person introduces himself, by telling where he is originally from and why he came to North Carolina. Reflecting the diverse stories of North Carolina Latino immigrants, some moved here fairly recently; others moved here many years ago. In the clip we also hear from North Carolina officials who work with the Latino population and who discuss the increase in the population of Latinos in North Carolina.

Nuestra Comunidad: Latinos in North Carolina highlights key historical moments of the recent Latino immigrant experience in North Carolina. Distributed by New South Productions. To order the complete film, click here.

Roots of Migration Part 1
Runtime: 10:59

Roots of Migration, produced by Mikel Barton for CITCA.

Witness for Peace, an NGO, leads a delegation of twenty US citizens to Oaxaca, Mexico, to study the roots of migration and learn why people are leaving their home communities for the United States in ever-increasing numbers. Specifically the film explores why Mexicans make the long, perilous journey from southern Mexico to North Carolina.

A DVD of Roots of Migration is available for purchase for $10 from Carolina Interfaith Task Force on Central America, 1105 Sapling Place Raleigh, N.C. 27615.

Roots of Migration Part 2
Runtime: 9:26

Roots of Migration, produced by Mikel Barton for CITCA.

Witness for Peace, an NGO, leads a delegation of twenty US citizens to Oaxaca, Mexico, to study the roots of migration and learn why people are leaving their home communities for the United States in ever-increasing numbers. Specifically the film explores why Mexicans make the long, perilous journey from southern Mexico to North Carolina.

A DVD of Roots of Migration is available for purchase for $10 from Carolina Interfaith Task Force on Central America, 1105 Sapling Place Raleigh, N.C. 27615.

Many Faces of Latinos
Runtime: 4:20

Photo Montage: Edited by Working Films, 2006
Photos by Student Action with Farmworkers Interns
“Raleigh” performed and written by Rey Norteño
Runtime: 4:20

Latino music accompanies a video montage showing many Latino faces and the many facets of Latino life

For more information about SAF documentary work please visit www.saf-unite.org. For more information about Rey Norteño please visit the band’s MySpace profile, www.myspace.com/reynorteno

Student Action with Farmworkers
Runtime: 3:39

Film clip from: Student Action with Farmworkers, By Visionaries, 2003
Runtime: 3:39

Student Action with Farmworkers is a North Carolina non-profit organization whose mission is to bring students and farmworkers together to learn about each other’s lives, share resources and skills, improve conditions for farmworkers, and build diverse coalitions working for social change. In this clip, we learn about SAF and meet its director, Melinda Wiggins, who started the organization while a student at Duke University.  We listen to testimony from Latino college students, who have worked with SAF, on their future plans for community improvement.

“Student Action with Farmworkers”, is part of a segment called “With Liberty and Justice for All,” which examines SAF’s efforts to speak for those without a voice. Distributed by Visionaries. To order the complete film click here.

Prom Night in Mississippi Trailer
Runtime: 2:03

Theatrical trailer for Prom Night in Mississippi directed by Paul Saltzman; produced by Paul Saltzman and Patricia Aquino; Thabi Moyo, associate producer (Return to Mississippi Productions. 2009).

This theatrical trailer for the feature documentary introduces viewers to Charleston High School in Mississippi. In 1997, Academy Award-winning actor Morgan Freeman offered to pay for the senior prom at Charleston High under one condition: the prom had to be racially integrated. His offer was ignored. In 2008, Freeman offered again. This time the school board accepted, and history was made. Charleston High School had its first-ever integrated prom - in 2008. Until then, blacks and whites had had separate proms even though their classrooms have been integrated for decades.

Prom Night in Mississippi chronicles the story of the first integrated prom in Charleston Mississippi, in 2008. To order the complete film click here.

Off to College? Immigrant Students and Life After High School
Runtime: 6:05

Film clip from: La Vida No Es Facil, Produced by Maurice Martinez, Ph.D. 2006

This clip includes interviews with several individuals who are knowledgeable about the issue of access to higher education for undocumented immigrants. The people interviewed include attorneys, advocates, legislators, and undocumented students, eager to enroll in a college or university.

La Vida No Es Facil (Life is Not Easy), examines the issue of the ineligibility of undocumented immigrants for in-state tuition at North Carolina's public universities and how this situation affects the lives of college-aged Latino students. To order contact the producer, Dr. Maurice Martinez, Ph. D. at 910-962-4279 or martinezm@uncw.edu.

Legislation About Immigrant Access to Higher Education
Runtime: 8:54

Film clip from: La Vida No Es Facil, Produced by Maurice Martinez, Ph.D. 2006

This clip presents legislation designed to help afford undocumented young people the opportunity to pursue higher education in North Carolina

La Vida No Es Facil (Life is Not Easy), examines the issue of the ineligibility of undocumented immigrants for in-state tuition at North Carolina's public universities and how this situation affects the lives of college-aged Latino students. To order contact the producer, Dr. Maurice Martinez, Ph. D. at 910-962-4279 or martinezm@uncw.edu.

Latino Financial Contributions
Runtime: 2:05

Clip from Nuestra Comunidad: Latinos in North Carolina, by Joanne Hershfield and Penny Simpson (New South Productions, 2001).

This clip offers two examples of the financial contributions Latinos have made to the economy of North Carolina. In June 2000, the Latino Credit union was inaugurated in downtown Durham, North Carolina. Iván Parra, director of El Centro Hispano at that time, addresses the crowd.

We are also introduced to Marco Roldán, originally from Guatemala, who owns "El Mandado," a Latino commercial center that offers a multitude of services, including a supermarket, a coin laundry, and an international shipping center.

Nuestra Comunidad: Latinos in North Carolina highlights key historical moments of the recent Latino immigrant experience in North Carolina. Distributed by New South Productions. To order the complete film, click here.

Latinos in the Workforce
Runtime: 3:51

Clip from Nuestra Comunidad: Latinos in North Carolina, by Joanne Hershfield and Penny Simpson (New South Productions, 2001).

We hear from Dan Gerlach, from the North Carolina Justice Center. In a speech to the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in Durham, Gerlach says statistics show that Latino immigrants are not taking jobs away from Americans. He gives examples.

We watch images of the Latino Festival in Newton Grove, North Carolina, while Melinda Wiggins, director of Student Action with Farmworkers, tells us that, although Latinos have never taken jobs away from anyone, this is still the perception among some people in North Carolina communities.

Alberto Herrera-Jeferson, originally from Peru, discusses the fact that, although Latino immigration is a relatively new phenomenon in North Carolina, it is important because Latinos are working in a broad range of industries, including agriculture, construction, processing plants and landscaping.

A welding instructor from Wake Tech Community College in Garner, N.C., explains that the demand for workers in North Carolina, specifically in his field, is tremendous. It seems to him that some Latinos are especially interested in "hands-on" trades - electrical, plumbing, and welding.

Nuestra Comunidad: Latinos in North Carolina highlights key historical moments of the recent Latino immigrant experience in North Carolina. Distributed by New South Productions. To order the complete film, click here.

Pay Me For My Work!
Runtime: 2:30

Clip from Los Trabajadores/The Workers, by Heather Courtney (2003).

The scene in this clip takes place outside Austin, Texas on a day-labor site where employers pick up workers for the day. Some workers are complaining about employers who refuse to pay them. Mack Martinez, from the county attorney's office, tells a group of workers that he knows some employers do not pay, and although threats have been made toward these workers, he wants the workers to report these people. The scene shifts to two police officers who tell workers who have received from employers checks with insufficient funds that they are going to investigate the matter on behalf of the workers.

Through the words of immigrant workers and the families they've left behind, Los Trabajadores/The Workers tells the stories of workers at an Austin, Texas, day-labor site. To order a complete copy of the film from New Day Films please visit www.newday.com.

Made in LA Trailer
Runtime: 2:17

Theatrical trailer for the feature film Made in L.A., by Almudena Carracedo and Robert Bahar (Semilla Verde Productions, 2007).

The trailer introduces us to Made in L.A., an Emmy Award-winning feature documentary that 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 trendy clothing retailer. 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.

Made in LA is available for personal use and community screenings. To purchase the film from the Made in LA website click here

Farmworker Housing and Working Conditions
Runtime: 5:11

Clip from Help Wanted: Farmworkers in North Carolina (Burning Tree Productions, 2001).

Joan Preiss, from the Triangle Friends of the United farmworkers, Melinda Wiggins from Student Action with Farmworkers, and Sandy Smith-Nonini, a farm labor researcher, discuss the substandard conditions and treatment that farmworkers still face.

Regina Luginbuhl from the North Carolina Department of Labor, Everett Puckett, a North Carolina Department of Labor inspector, Frank Howell, a Wayne County farmer, and various other farmworkers discuss the issue of housing workers. The whole range of housing facilities is shown, from "gold-star" to substandard housing.

Help Wanted: Farmworkers in North Carolina takes a critical look at the difficult lives of the people who work in North Carolina's fields. To order the complete film please contact Burning Tree Stories at gingerlong@bellsouth.net.

Guestworkers
Runtime: 5:14

Clip from Help Wanted: Farmworkers in North Carolina (Burning Tree Productions, 2001).

In this clip, the film's narrator and Stan Eury, from the North Carolina Grower's Association, provide background on the H2A Guest Worker program. A former H2A farmworker discusses his experience in the program. Then, Alice Tejada, a lawyer with Legal Services of North Carolina who represents H2A workers, and Sandy Smith-Nonini, a farm labor researcher, discuss problems with the program.

Help Wanted: Farmworkers in North Carolina takes a critical look at the difficult lives of the people who work in North Carolina's fields. To order the complete film please contact Burning Tree Stories at gingerlong@bellsouth.net.

Temporary Protective Status
Runtime: 3:36

Clip from Los Trabajadores/The Workers, by Heather Courtney (2003).

The U.S government has offered Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to citizens from Honduras and El Salvador who came to the United States due to Hurricane Mitch in November 1998. In this clip, we are introduced to Juan, an immigrant from El Salvador, who decides to take advantage of this amnesty and thus become a documented resident. It turns out, however, that Juan does not qualify because he arrived after the designated dates for the amnesty. He is instead deported. We follow his story until the day he must leave the United States.

Through the words of immigrant workers and the families they've left behind, Los Trabajadores/The Workers tells the stories of workers at an Austin, Texas day-labor site. To order a complete copy of the film from New Day Films please visit www.newday.com.

Why We Do This
Runtime: 1:58

Film clip from Facing Deportation, by Eileen Mignoni, 2009, http://facingdeportation.org.

In this clip, Wake County, N.C., Sheriff Donnie Harrison explains why he believes immigration checks are vital for the safety of his jail and his constituency.

North Carolina is a leader in local immigration enforcement. Under the 287(g) program, a local law-enforcement agency partners with the Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a branch of the Department of Homeland Security. North Carolina ranks second among all states for 287(g) partnerships, and more counties are eager to join.

The partnership is designed to find criminal aliens. The participating North Carolina counties all use jail-enforcement models, which means that a suspect's immigration status is checked only after he or she is arrested for another reason. Proponents say it is ridding the community of criminals. Opponents argue that it leads to racial profiling.

Facing Deportation is a multimedia website that documents the impact of immigration enforcement policies on North Carolina families. This and other clips in the Facing Deportation series are available at http://facingdeportation.org.

Detaining Immigrant Families
Runtime: 1:58

Clip from The Least of These, directed by Clark Lyda and Jesse Lyda, produced by Clark Lyda, Jesse Lyda and Marc Garriott (2008).

This clip introduces viewers to the concept of family detention, the practice of holding immigrant parents and their children in detention facilities. The U.S. government, as part of a policy to end what it termed the "catch and release" of undocumented immigrants, opened the T. Don Hutto Residential Center in 2006 as a prototype family detention facility. The facility housed immigrant children and their parents from all over the world who are awaiting asylum hearings or deportation proceedings. In this clip we meet two families, one Iranian and one Honduran, who were detained at the facility and the lawyers who worked on their behalf. This clip and the larger film lead viewers to consider how core American rights and values - presumption of innocence, the protection of children, upholding the family structure as the basic unit of civil society, and America as a refuge of last resort - should apply to immigrants, particularly children.

The Lease of These explores the role - and limits - of community activism, and considers how American rights and values apply to the least powerful among us. To order a home use copy of the film from Indie Pix click here. To order an educational copy click here.

Ramon's Family Law
Runtime: 0:57

Clip from Los Trabajadores/The Workers, by Heather Courtney (2003).

In this clip we meet Ramón, who entered the United States illegally seeking work. He states in the film that, although he understands that he has broken U.S. immigration law, he feels he has followed "family law," the imperative to provide for his family. We see images of Ramón's family back in Mexico, his wife and two daughters, who are now teenagers. He says he would much rather be with them in Mexico, but their financial reality does not permit it.

Through the words of immigrant workers and the families they've left behind, Los Trabajadores/The Workers tells the stories of workers at an Austin, Texas, day-labor site. To order a complete copy of the film from New Day Films please visit www.newday.com.

Living Between Borders
Runtime: 3:08

Film clip from Facing Deportation, by Eileen Mignoni, 2009

In this clip viewers meet Isabel. Isabel has learned to live with fear. That is what she must do to remain with her family. She came to the U.S. at the age of 13. Today, she is 29. Her whole family - including her daughter - is documented, but she is not. She has considered returning to Mexico, but her life and her world is here. She does not know her birth country well enough to survive there.

Under current laws she has no option for becoming documented. At this time, even applying for residency would bring a penalty of 10 years in Mexico for having entered illegally. So Isabel waits for the laws to change and prays that she is not unmasked in the interim.

Facing Deportation is a multimedia website that documents the impact of immigration enforcement policies on North Carolina families. This and other clips in the Facing Deportation series are available at http://facingdeportation.org.

Phone Calls from Papi
Runtime: 3:08

Film clip from Facing Deportation, by Eileen Mignoni, 2009

Linzi, a U.S. citizen, fell in love with Domingo, a Mexican immigrant, when she was 13 years old. They married in 2006. They have three daughters together.

Domingo was detained in June 2008 during an appearance at the Wake County Courthouse. He was questioned about his citizenship after immigration officers noticed his tattoos. He was taken into immigration custody. Linzi was left to care for her children on her own. Unable to support her family alone, she moved in with her mother. Linzi's story, of not knowing if Domingo would ever be released, reflects the uncertainty faced by thousands.

Facing Deportation is a multimedia website that documents the impact of immigration enforcement policies on North Carolina families. This and other clips in the Facing Deportation series are available at http://facingdeportation.org.

A Father's Sacrifice
Runtime: 4:19

Film clip from Facing Deportation, by Eileen Mignoni, 2009

In this clip viewers meet John, who came to North Carolina from Acapulco three years ago. He was 15. He enrolled in high school and excelled. He learned English quickly and made his father proud.

In September 2008, John was arrested for a petty theft that his friends say he didn't commit. Instead of attending high school, John sat in jail. John's father struggled and sacrificed to raise the thousands of dollars needed for bail and attorney's fees before John was to be transferred to federal custody and possibly deported. This clip illustrates the human cost of deportation and its potential for fracturing families.

Facing Deportation is a multimedia website that documents the impact of immigration enforcement policies on North Carolina families. This and other clips in the Facing Deportation series are available at http://facingdeportation.org.

Quince Años: Coming of Age in the United States
Runtime: 3:37

Video by Abby Metty, 2008.

The surging Hispanic population in North Carolina brings not only new workers and residents to a community, but also new traditions and cultures. One such tradition is that of the quinceañera, Quinceañeras, also known as "Quince Años" or "Mis Quiñces," are celebrations of growth and womanhood for Latinas turning 15 years old. A combination of Aztec and Spanish traditions that originated in Central and South America, quinceañeras are a symbolic passage into adulthood and life with responsibility. Abril Rodriguez and Michel Rodriguez are two young women in Durham, N.C., who recently commemorated this occasion. Their families and friends gathered around them on the day of their celebration to support them and recognize the change in their lives.

Quince Años and other multimedia pieces on Latinos in North Carolina can be found in Nuevas Fronteras a multimedia photojournalism project by UNC Chapel Hill Photojournalism students, 2008, available at http://carolinaphotojournalism.org/nuevasfronteras.

Remembering Selena
Runtime: 26:53

Film clip from Visiones, produced by Galan Inc. and the National Association of Latino Art & Culture , 2004

In this clip viewers learn about the music and the legacy of the late Tejano singer Selena. Beloved by audiences from Texas to South America, Selena was a young performer who came from a family of musicians and whose life was cut short when she was murdered at age 23. While chronicling Selena's career and her family life in the border state of Texas this clip discusses the ways that music can be a powerful expression of bicultural identity.

The award winning series Visiones: Latino Art & Culture is a journey through the music, words, dance, painting and performance of rich Latino cultures made more complex and fascinating by their history in the United States. The two DVD set containing all six episodes of Visiones is available at www.galaninc.com.