"Papers" - 5409

"Papers" tells the story of undocumented students and the challenges they face as they turn 18 without legal status. "Papers" follows the personal stories of five undocumented youth from a variety of national origins - Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico, and South Korea. The film addresses the history of immigration and immigration reform, as well as issues of identity, exclusion, migration, labor history, education, depression, scape-goating and racism. Currently there are over two million undocumented children who were born outside the U.S. and raised in this country. They were educated in American schools, hold American values and know only the U.S. as home. Yet, according to current immigration law, they are “illegal immigrants.” Many of them cannot speak, read, or write in their parents' native languages and live at risk of being deported, even as unaccompanied minors, to countries that are completely foreign to them. What they truly desire is to pursue their dreams and contribute to the country they call home. Sixty-five thousand undocumented students graduate every year from high school without "papers" and find the door to their futures slammed shut. It is against the law for them to work or drive. It is difficult, if not impossible, to go to college in many states. For the majority of these young people, there is no path to citizenship. The challenges these students face and their organized efforts to pass the DREAM Act are brought to light in this feature-length documentary chronicling one of the most critical civil rights struggles of our time. “Papers” includes expert commentary from political, academic and civil rights leaders from across the nation. The film was directed by Anne Galisky and produced by Rebecca Shine of Graham Street Productions, in conjunction with El Grupo Juvenil, the “Papers” youth crew, and is backed by an original hip-hop soundtrack debuting the new songs “Without Papers” and “Butterfly.” www.papersthemovie.com
ASIN: B004EMLN3I
VSKU: DBV.B004EMLN3I.G
Condition: Good
Binding: Dvd