The Laredo Film Society and the Laredo Immigrant Alliance will screen Episode Five of the Netflix documentary series, Immigration Nation as part of the continued initiative to foster dialogue on the topic of immigration in the local community.
As ineffective deterrence and militarized tactics continue, Immigration Nation provides an urgent, unbiased portrait of a country in crisis; one that demands unflinching attention and action.
The episode will be screened virtually via Zoom meeting at 7 p.m. on Aug. 28. The link to the Zoom meeting is bit.ly/LIANation28. Attendees are also encouraged to stay in the virtual meeting after the episode finishes in order to discuss what was seen. The discussion will be led by members of the Laredo Immigrant Alliance. Eric Martinez, policy director for Mano Amiga, an Austin-based grassroots organization, will also be in attendance, contributing to the discussion.
In the groundbreaking six-part documentary series Immigration Nation, acclaimed filmmaking team Shaul Schwarz and Christina Clusiau (2017’s Trophy), offer an unprecedented look at the processes, pitfalls, and pain of immigration in America. Shot over the course of three years, Schwarz and Clusiau capture the daily workings of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, activists, lawmakers, attorneys, and a wide swath of undocumented immigrants, from desperate recent arrivals to longtime residents to deported U.S. military combat veterans.
With an unrelenting flow of migrant workers continuing across the U.S. border, the pressure on ICE to enforce the administration’s zero-tolerance policies puts immigrants in the crosshairs. But how do we fix a system that seems beyond repair? How do we apply common sense to something that’s evolved from one of humanitarian concern to an us-versus-them political flashpoint? Has the story of America – the one that inspired our own immigrant relatives to risk death for a better life – been rewritten so broadly that the “land of the free” is a luxury afforded now only to a few?
Before watching the series, the organizations warn audiences that images and situations depicted in the series may be considered disturbing or distressing to some viewers.
For further information, contact gabriela@laredofilm.org or karen@laredofilm.org.
