The DVD’s below can be rented from:
** Please request DVD’s well in advance of the date needed
School Sisters of Notre Dame
Office of Justice, Peace & Integrity of Creation
561 Hamline Ave. S.
St. Paul, MN 55116
(651)695-0570
Email: jwing1948(AT)aol(DOT)com
• The Line in the Sand: Stories from the US/Mexico Border- Click here for discussion guide (Runtime 50 minutes)
Catholic Relief Services sent a team of writers to the Arizona/Mexico border to study immigration. Drawing from the interviews that were done, three performers present different characters involved in the immigration issue in various ways. Their purpose is to “put a face on” these characters, to present real people with real stories. We meet Lucresia - a Mexican woman in the desert, a Border patrol agent, a No More Deaths volunteer, a medical examiner and Mexican assistant, a local Arizona resident, a cattle rancher, a Mexican laborer, and Lucresia’s father searching for her in the desert. Listen carefully to the experiences they share. (Some of the actors speak very quickly and some very quietly, so be sure that the volume is high enough to understand what they are saying.)
• Strangers No Longer- - Click here for discussion guide (Runtime 22 minutes)
Strangers no Longer invites us to open our hearts and minds and identify with today's immigrants. It invites us to look into our past and notice the similarities that exist between ourselves and our ancestors when they came to this great land and those who are arriving now. We are made aware of the many global implications that cause people to migrate the the USA, including our need for more workers. It helps us to understand problems that exist with our current immigration system and underlines different solutions and activities that can be undertaken to fix what is broken. It reminds us of our moral responsibility to actively live our faith and our obligation to be a voice of change so that newcomers are strangers no longer.
• Dying to Live: (Runtime 33 minutes) (see above for description)
• Border, One Body: Immigration and the Eucharist- Click here for discussion guide (Runtime 22 minutes) In the dry, rugged, and sun-scorched terrain where many immigrants lose their lives, bishops, priests and lay people come together each year to celebrate the Eucharist. Like other liturgies, they pray and worship together. Unlike other liturgies, a sixteen-foot iron fence divides this community in half, with one side in Mexico and the other in the United States. One Border, One Body tells the story of a ritual that unites people beyond political constructions which divide them. Amidst a desert of death and a culture of fear, the film testifies to God’s universal, undivided and unrestricted love for all people. It speaks of the gift and challenge of Christian faith and the call to feed the world’s hunger for peace, justice and reconciliation. More than just another documentary on immigration, this film is a meditation on the Kingdom of God, the globalization of solidarity and a journey of hope.
This film depicts the stories of three Latina immigrants (Maria, Lupe, and Maura) working in garment sweatshops in Los Angeles. Most undocumented workers believe they do not have protection from the American legal system-leaving them vulnerable to unjust conditions like unsafe workplaces and illegal wages and work hours. However, in this film the women join a grassroots organizing movement, sue clothing retailer Forever 21 for basic labor protections, and win. The story sheds light on the contradiction of consumers who take an anti-immigration stance while at the same time welcoming and benefiting from products made with cheap labor.
The film portrays the transformation of 62-year-old Walter Vale after his encounter with a young undocumented couple who take up residence in his usually unoccupied apartment in New York. As Walter gets to know the couple, Tarek and Zainab, he develops a friendship with Tarek that revitalizes his life. When Tarek is threatened with deportation, Walter tries to help his new friend and confronts our modern-day immigration deportation system. The story demonstrates the trans formative power of opening our lives to others-which often changes our view of the world and ourselves.
In the film we see two groups in one suburban town working on the issue of immigrants in the community: Sachem Quality of Life and Citizens for Peaceful Solutions. It highlights the paradox of communities wanting immigrants deported while, at the same time, the community really needs their work.
The Below DVD’s can be rented from:
The Office for Social Justice
328 West Kellogg Blvd
Saint Paul, MN 55102
(651)291-4477
Email: osj(AT)cctwincities(DOT)org
• Dying to Live - Click here for discussion guide (Runtime 33 minutes)
Dying to Live takes a profound look at the human face of immigrants who cross the
southern U.S. border with Mexico. It delves into who immigrants are, why they
leave their homes and their families, and what price they pay to do so. The film
presents insights from theologians, church leaders, activists, musicians, Pulitzer
Prize-winning photographers, and the immigrants themselves. It is a reflection
on the human struggle for a more dignified life. http://dyingtolive.nd.edu
• Posada: A Night to Cross All Borders - Click here for the discussion guide (Runtime
57 minutes)
The Posada is a popular faith process held from December 16 until Christmas Eve which
retells the story of Joseph and Mary’s search for lodging (at a posada). Every
year thousands of unaccompanied immigrant children enter the United States without
parents or family members. Not only are their searches for shelter from life’s cruelties
compelling in their own right, but their plights shed light on many immigration issues
which the Catholic Church has been addressing.
The film Posada is a 57-minute documentary with Spanish subtitles. It weaves the
stores of Las Posadas and unaccompanied immigrant children, portraying the journey
of Densi, Johny and Wilber. As teenagers, they separately left their homes in Central
American for the United States. They each were detained by immigration officials
for months between 1999 and 2002. Their struggles helped pave the way for others
to receive assistance.
