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.)