(Daniel Martín Gómez, 2013, 14 min) Two women job seekers who emigrated to Germany, from different ends of Spain and two generations facing two very different ways of emigrating.
Category Archives: Immigrants/Immigration
Mujeres Pa’lante [Women Moving Forward]
2012
Directed by: Tanja Wol Sorensen
Documentary Short (27 minutes)
There are more than 500,000 domestic workers living in Spain today. The large majority are migrant women from Latin American countries. Through the stories of three Latin American women living in Barcelona, we get an insight into the reality of being a migrant woman and a domestic worker in Spain today. Through their own words, we learn about their motivations for crossing oceans to live in Catalonia, and why they choose to keep living outside of their native country. Despite the discrimination and abuse they experience, these women are actively trying to improve the rights and conditions for themselves and for others.
Money and Honey (2011)
Directed by: Jasmine Ching-Hui Lee
Documentary Feature (96 Minutes)
This is an Asian epic documentary on migrant workers spanning thirteen years. Director Jasmine first came into contact with Filipino caretakers in the Taipei nursing home, where her grandparents were under care. Living away from their loved ones, both the Filipino caretakers and the elderly residents suffer from homesickness. Stories of joy and sorrow take place between them. The Filipino caretakers are humorous. They comfort themselves by singing a self-mocking song, ‘No money, no honey’. Being a wife, a mother and a migrant worker, the Filipino women are smart. They know how to survive. And yet, the road home seems to grow longer and longer. What price do they have to pay for love and livelihood? Can their dreams ever come true?
Ivan and Arnold: Day Laborers from Both Sides of the Border (2013)
Directed by: Melinda Levin and Michael McPherson
Documentary Short (28 minutes)
This documentary short follows the lives of Ivan, an undocumented worker from Mexico and Arnold, a transitory laborer from New Orleans as they work on the day-laborer circuit during a time of economic recession in the U.S. Their stories highlight the struggles and internal racial tensions in this workforce disengaged from formal labor structures.
Your Day Is My Night (2012)
Directed by Lynne Sachs, Co-Director Sean Haley
Part Documentary, part narrative, completely enlightening look at what it means to be a Chinatown NY resident for decades and still sharing a bed by shifts, called “shift-bedding.” This film had it’s world premier in February at The Museum of Modern Art’s Doc Fortnight.
“Since the early days of New York’s Lower East Side tenement houses, working class people have shared beds, making such spaces a fundamental part of immigrant life. Initially documented in Jacob Riisʼ now controversial late 19th Century photography, a “shift-bed” is an actual bed that is shared by people who are neither in the same family nor in a relationship. Simply put, it’s an economic necessity brought on by the challenges of urban existence. Such a bed can become a remarkable catalyst for storytelling as absolute strangers become de facto confidants.
In this provocative, hybrid documentary, the audience joins a present-day household of immigrants living together in a shift-bed apartment in the heart of Chinatown. Seven characters (ages 58-78) play themselves through autobiographical monologues, verité conversations, and theatrical movement pieces. Retired seamstresses Ellen Ho and Sheut Hing Lee recount growing up in China during the turmoil of the 1950s when their families faced violence and separation under Chairman Maoʼs revolutionary, yet authoritarian regime. Yun Xiu Huang, a nightclub owner from Fujian Province, reveals his journey to the United States through the complicated economy of the “snakehead” system, facing an uphill battle as he starts over in a new city.
With each “performance” of their present, the characters illuminate both the joys and tragedies of their past. As the bed transforms into a stage, the film reveals the collective history of Chinese immigrants in the United States, a story not often documented. Further, the intimate cinematography and immersive sound design carry us into the dreams and memories of the performers, bringing the audience into a community often considered closed off to non-Chinese speakers. Through it all, “Your Day is My Night” addresses issues of privacy, intimacy, and urban life in relationship to this familiar item of household furniture.”
The Lithuanian Jungle – Upton Sinclair-inspired Documentary
Trailer for “The Lithuanian Jungle”, the documentary feature film from Storytellers International coming in 2011. The film is based on the characters in the book “The Jungle” by Upton Sinclair. Filmed on location in Chicago and told in a investigative journalism style by filmmakers Randy Richards, Giedrius Subacius and Risé Sanders, this documentary reveals the unknown characters behind the literary classic.
The Caretaker
7:19m
Theo Rigby/Kate McLean
A short documentary explores the tender relationship between a caretaker who is an undocumented immigrant and an elderly woman in the last months of her life.
Oil Sands Karaoke (2013)
Canada, 2013
Directed by Charles Wilkinson
Home to one of the most controversial industries in the world—the Athabasca tar sands—Fort McMurray, Alberta, has seen a record population boom. Thousands of men and women from as far away as PEI and Labrador and as close by as local aboriginal communities, have flocked to the city to work in the oil patch, all attracted by the promise of good jobs and a high salary. The work is hard and the hours are long. The weather is harsh and the social life is sparse, and everyone must cope with the knowledge that many people worldwide—possibly even friends and family—object, sometimes strenuously, to what they do for a living. How do they cope? With karaoke of course! Oil Sands Karaoke profiles five Fort McMurray residents as they prepare to unleash their inner divas at Bailey’s, the local pub, in a vocal battle royal.
Into the Fire: The Hidden Victims of Austerity in Greece (2013)
In times of austerity things look bleak for the Greek people; but they’re far worse for those who have recently arrived. Without housing, legal papers, or support, migrants in Greece are faced with increasing and often violent racism at the hands of the growing neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party and the police. Shot and edited with sensitivity and compassion, Into the Fire doesn’t pull its punches, and makes for harrowing viewing in parts. The film gives an insight into the reality faced by people who simply want to lead peaceful, normal lives, and how they are organising to protect themselves. ¦ Directed by Guy Smallman and Kate Mara. Presented in association with Anti-Fascist Action Ireland.
Coming For A Visit (On Vient Pour La Visite)
2013 | French | 58 min | HD
| French with English subtitles
Director Lucie Tourette
Undocumented migrants win the battle to get their papers. A historic strike filmed from within.
Paris, 2009. More than 6000 undocumented migrants (sans-papiers) go on strike to demand their legalization. Despite being illegals, Mohamed, Diallo, Hamet and others have worked and paid taxes in France for years in restaurants, cleaning companies, or construction. They have invested all their energy in this battle: now that their status has been disclosed publically, there is no way back.
http://www.vezfilm.org/comingforavisit/
Trailer : http://vimeo.com/53048336
lucie tourette lucie_tourette@yahoo.fr
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