Directed by: Almudena Carracedo & Robert Behar

View Trailer: http://www.madeinla.com/

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 verite 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.

 

La Americana
(Chicago Premier! Producer Will Be Coming to Speak at the Film Fest and the Conference)

Directed and Produced By Nicholas Bruckman Co-Director John Mattiuzzi Co-Producer Jesse Thomas View Trailer: http://www.activistvideo.org/views.asp?id=501 Carmen never planned to come to the United States, but when her daughter Carla was only nine-years-old, tragedy struck.  Carmen left Carla behind in Bolivia and made the dangerous and illegal journey to New York City where she could earn enough to support her ailing daughter, knowing she may never return home.  But after six years of separation, congress proposes 'amnesty' legislation that could allow Carmen and Carla to be reunited again.  Will Carmen stay and fight for the American dream, or be home as promised for Carla's quinceañera?  Filmed in three countries and told through an intimate cinema-vérité narrative, her unforgettable story is woven into the current immigration debate in the United States, putting a human face on this timely and controversial issue.

USA vs Al-Arian
(member of the Al-Arian Family Will be Coming to Speak at the Film Festival!)

Diected by: Line Halvorsen

View Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcV9no5TUwU

In February 2003, university professor and pro-Palestinian civil rights activist Sami Al-Arian was arrested in Tampa, Florida, charged with providing material support to a terror organization. For two-and-a-half years he was held in solitary confinement, denied basic privileges and given limited access to his attorneys. While the Bush administration considered this a landmark case in its campaign against international terrorism, Sami Al-Arian claims he was targeted in an attempt to silence his political views.

The film follows Sami Al-Arian’s wife Nahla and their five children throughout his 6 month-long trial. It is an intimate family portrait that documents the strain brought on by the trial, a battle waged both in court and in the media. In the film a tight-knit family unravels before our very eyes as trial preparations, strategy and spin consume their lives. This is a nightmare come to life, as a man is prosecuted for his beliefs rather than his actions.

The film raises questions on whether it is possible for a man like Sami Al-Arian to receive a fair trial in the United States given the current hostile environment against Muslims and the strong US support of Israel. It presents democracy in a new light in a post-9/11 culture of fear, where "security measures" trump free speech and punishment is meted out in the name of protection. It is an example of how the American government’s hunt for terrorists is a struggle that can be seen from multiple angles.

 

Lost in Haiti
(Producer Will Be Coming to Speak at the Film Fest and the Conference)

Directed by: Gregory Jesus Luc View Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zNz1bILV6c A documentary exploring the social, cultural, political, and personal ramifications endeavored by many current and future deportee's returned to Haiti, their birth-land under the new U.S. Immigration Laws. Our Haitian-American perspective will explore the root cause of ap to oppress, assimilate, and acculturate propriation and objectification of the Haitian culture and history as a tool the deportees. We will reveal how the United States Immigration and deportation process functions and the effects change on the lives of long-time U.S. residents and their families left behind using dramatic personal first hand accounts.

 

A Forgotten Injustice
(Producer Will Be Coming to Speak at the Film Fest Opening Night Friday April 10!)

 

Produced by: Vicente Serrano News Anchor - Telemundo Chicago  “A Forgotten Injustice” is the first film that uncovers the massive “deportation” of almost two million U.S citizens and legal residents who were forced out of the Unites States during the Great Depression in the 1930s. These people were forced to leave because of one reason: They were of Mexican descent. When the stock market and U.S. economy crashed in 1929, U.S. officials sought a convenient scapegoat, a quick solution to their problem. They tightened immigration rules and focused on sending Mexicans across the border. According to some government officials, Mexicans were taking jobs and welfare benefits away from "real" Americans. As the Depression engulfed the United States in the early 1930s, fear and anxiety spread among the Mexican community as a result of the anti-Mexican sentiment that was developing. It turned out that local, state, and national officials had teamed up with private entities to launch massive efforts to get rid of them. Official Selection: Chicago Latino Film Festival 2009

 

The Deportee's Wife *Special Live Performance*

By: Giselle Stern Hernández

View Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoJg9Ye3buk

In this solo show, Giselle Stern Hernández’s marriage is laid out on the front lines of the North American immigration debate.  Giselle’s husband, Roberto was deported from Chicago, Illinois back to Mexico in April of 2001.  Giselle moved to Mexico to live with him in August of that same year.  While she was born and raised in the States, and they were legally married, it didn't make a difference at all; her husband was deported anyway, with the order to stay out of the U.S. for twenty years. 

And then there came the day that he wasn't allowed to enter Canada. 

Through music and images, she tells their unforgettable story.  In THE DEPORTEE'S WIFE, Giselle brings a clear, distinctive and personal voice to an issue that's often swept away between sound bites and presidential campaigns. 

Giselle tells you a love story you'll never forget.

Spoken Word Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtzBGzN7BV4

Meet the ReadNex Poetry Squad, a group of four spoken word poets/emcees that have banded together to uplift urban communities through the power of music. Comprised of 4 esteemed lyrical “scholars” and 1 DJ—Decora, Free Flowin, Cuttz, Latin Translator and DJ H2O have managed to blend conscious social commentary with influences from Hip-Hop, Soul, Latin and Caribbean music, to create a unique sound that is already making an impact on not only the music industry, but the world.

The ReadNex have stuck to their commitment of being models for change and continue to hold monthly campaigns that range from fighting for the removal of U.S soldiers in Iraq to stopping the improper treatment of women in today's society. Currently they are re-developing their Nex to Read Program, a program geared towards helping today’s youth build their confidence and self –esteem through the power of poetry. The program was started in 2004, in Newburgh NY and is now being considered as an after school curriculum all over the state of New York.