Promised Land - Immigrant Stories Public

Producing a series of videos for the web and presentation to advocate for immigrants' rights and immigration law reform.
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  • Category   Social & Philanthropic
  • Online   237 days
    Promised Land Videos
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    About the Project
    This video imagines the life of immigrants in America through the eyes of first generation arrivals to its shores. The video aims to walk alongside these immigrants to capture them as they traverse a newly familiar culture and place - and offer glimpses of how this experience redefines their sense of identity. In their own words these immigrants will dispel the myths and prejudices held by the larger culture, revealing instead our shared humanity. The video will come full circle, showing how immigrants return the gift of immigration through their participation in and contributions to the larger community. Their presence here reminds us of what it means to be "American": arriving with little more than their distinct heritage, today's immigrants are the latest wave to inform and transform the unparalleled cultural diversity that is America.

    Section/topic summaries:

    Part One: The Journey to America
    In this section immigrants will describe candidly the circumstances that led to their decision to immigrate. They will discuss the conditions for family members still living in their homeland. They will describe the process of immigration and any obstacles and successes they have met in the process.

    Part Two: Being the Other
    In this section immigrants will describe the emotional and psychological experience of living in a place where they are "other." They will describe the challenges they have faced finding work or to further education, finding a home, getting medical care, and learning English. They will discuss how they are treated by the authorities and their concerns surrounding issues of detainment or deportation.

    Part Three: A Day in the Life
    In this section we will follow immigrants in their daily lives to observe them interacting in their families and communities. We will capture the challenges they face as well as how they contribute to US culture and the economy. We will also interview social service workers who work with immigrants who will give an inside view of how hard immigrants work to provide for their families and become naturalized citizens, and the challenges of making a foreign culture one's own.

    Part Four: Views on America
    In this section immigrants will describe their observations and feelings about being a member of their community, the larger community of Seattle, and finally their views on America. (It would be great to talk to someone who is in the process of becoming a naturalized citizen.)


    Promised Land Blog
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    Anemone [words + pictures] is a digital media arts studio producing creative content for good causes. We have chosen Promised Land as our flagship project. We work closely with organizations supporting immigration law reform to determine their needs for outreach and advocacy materials. At this time, we are in production and seeking sponsors and donors to help expand the reach of this project.

    The United States is a nation of immigrants. Our richly diverse culture is fed and strengthened by the people who come here seeking a new, better life. In difficult economic times it may be easy to view immigrants as a threat to working Americans. The truth is, immigrants invigorate and help grow our economy, and they bring with them cultural history and tradition that does not dilute American Culture, but rather deepens it.

    The incredible challenges that immigrants face in coming to America and living in America are the subjects we hope to better understand through these stories.