Expanding Sanctuary
Immigration
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20m
Directed by Kristal Sotomayor • Documentary • With Linda Hernandez • 2023 • 21 minutes
An immigrant mother becomes an unexpected community leader during a groundbreaking campaign to end the Philadelphia police’s data-sharing with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Expanding Sanctuary tells a rarely seen story of resilience, tracing the Latinx immigrant community’s successful fight to protect families and change legislation against a backdrop of systemic injustice.
At the heart of the film is a personal journey of transformation. What begins as a woman’s quest to bring her mother to the United States for her wedding evolves into a profound awakening. As she works with the immigrant rights organization Juntos, she discovers her voice, power, and agency, channeling her initial hope for personal connection into a larger purpose. Her newfound role as an organizer not only redefines her life but strengthens her entire community’s fight for justice, illuminating the extraordinary potential of collective action and solidarity.
Up Next in Immigration
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Western
Directed by Bill Ross IV, Turner Ross • Documentary • With Chad Foster, Martin Wall, Brylyn Wall • 2015 • 92 minutes
In Eagle Pass, Texas, where the U.S. and Mexico meet along the Rio Grande, a cattleman and the mayor face the dawn of a new reality. In the matter of a few turbulent months, the s...
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Sin País (Without Country)
Directed by Theo Rigby • Documentary • 2011 • 20 minutes
Sin País (Without Country) attempts to get beyond the partisan politics and mainstream media’s ‘talking point’ approach to immigration issues by exploring one family’s complex and emotional journey involving deportation.
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The Interpreters
Directed by Sofian Khan, Andres Caballero • Documentary • With Khalid Awda, Paul Braun, John McCain • 2019 • 59 minutes
As the American involvement in the war-torn region winds down, these abandoned allies are faced with an impossible choice – wait for the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) they’ve be...
