Revisiting Sentenced Home and the Case of Many Uch

Filmmakers Nicole Newnham and David Grabias

Sentenced Home aired back in 2007 on Independent Lens and put a human face on a controversial immigration policy. The film followed three young Cambodian Americans, raised in inner-city Seattle, each of whom faced deportation for mistakes they made as teenagers. Filmmakers Nicole Newnham and David Grabias provide an update on the case of Many Uch, one of the three subjects featured in Sentenced Home.

In June, 2007, Many Uch decided to apply for a pardon for his 1994 crime from Christine Gregoire, the governor of Washington State. Although we knew it was a long shot, it was something that we had been hoping he would do for quite a while. We met Many while filming Sentenced Home in 2003, and we were struck by his gentle soul and his extraordinarily thoughtful perspective on his difficult situation: in limbo, living with the constant threat of an order of deportation to Cambodia.

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Tags: deportation, documentary, immigration, indie films, ITVS, PBS, Seattle, sentenced home

Can a Human Being Be Illegal? Thoughts on Immigration through Film

"The New Americans" from Global Voices on PBS WORLD

The national dialogue on immigration has reached a fever pitch in recent weeks, with many municipalities declaring boycotts of Arizona over the recent enactment of a strict immigration law that critics say amounts to little more than institutionalized racial profiling. Some Arizonans, in response, have sworn to boycott the cities that demonized their state. Regardless of your position on the law, the truth is that immigration is an issue at the forefront of international debate and legislation, as the increasing mobility of humanity makes borders ever more easily crossable as people search for social and economic opportunity.

Even in the UK, Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s flippant retort to a citizen angry about Eastern Europeans flooding into Britain sparked a backlash that may have cost him the recent election there.

Much of the debate turns on what rights are afforded a person just for having been born in a particular nation, and what are refused to a person for not having been. Even that  is being parsed, as Arizona considers withholding citizenship and birth certificates to children born to undocumented immigrants on U.S. soil (although this contravenes the U.S. Constitution and may not survive the courts if passed).

"Tia and Marco" from the online series FUTURESTATES

Truly understanding the particulars of immigration requires a knowledge of individuals involved in the transformative process of emigrating or immigrating — often to a foreign land, often without knowing anyone or even possessing a familiarity with customs and language, and often either fleeing persecution or poverty. In turn, they often contribute to the rich cultural fabric of their adopted country. Some evidence indicates immigration boosts a nation’s overall economy, while there is similar data showing that some states absorb an uneven share of the costs for immigrants without healthcare or jobs.
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Tags: Arizona, Global Voices, immigration, law, PBS World, the new americans, tia and marco

In the News: The Latest on ITVS Programs

Principal Edward Tom of the Bronx Center for Science & Mathematics discusses his decision to leave a lucrative job at Saks Fifth Avenue to become a teacher and make a difference in the lives of disadvantaged students in Whatever It Takes on Independent Lens.
Watch now >>

“…[The FUTURESTATES episode Plastic Bag] from Ramin Bahrani (Chop Shop, Goodbye Solo) featuring the mad/brilliant German director as the voice of a fluttering bag is just too good to miss.”
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“[FUTURESTATE's Plastic Bag] is a really endearing film. I was not expecting to care about a tattered piece of plastic with handles, but by the end of it, I did.”
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“As she explored the family’s secrets, [filmmaker Monika Navarro of Lost Souls (Animas Perdidas)], edited them into a film that reflects the frailties of every American family.”
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Tags: education, future, immigration, National Geographic, Ramin Bahrani

Lost Souls (Animas Perdidas) Premiering Tonight on Independent Lens on PBS

“With brave and brutal honesty, [Filmmaker Monika] Navarro, 31, turns the camera on her own clan as she explores a family history that embodies the best and worst of the relationship between the U.S. and Mexico.”
- Hispanic Magazine

Augie and Gino were living the American dream — raised and educated in the United States and proud veterans of the U.S. military. But in 1999, these two brothers were forced to leave the only country they’d ever known and had pledged to protect. Follow filmmaker Monika Navarro on her familial journey to Mexico as she pieces together the tragic events of her uncles’ deportation and opens a Pandora’s box of family secrets.

Check out a preview of tonight’s broadcast below:

Lost Souls (Animas Perdidas) premieres tonight, Tuesday, March 23 at 10:00 on Independent Lens on PBS (check local listings). A co-production of ITVS in association with WGBH-Boston and LPB.

Tags: deportation, family, immigration, Mexico, Military

Behind the Scenes of Lost Souls (Animas Perdidas)

Augie and Gino were living the American dream –– raised and educated in the United States and proud veterans of the military. But in 1999, these two brothers were forced to leave the only country they’d ever known and had pledged to protect. Airing next Tuesday, March 23 at 10:00 PM on Independent Lens on PBS, filmmaker Monika Navarro goes on a journey across the border to Mexico to piece together the tragic events of her uncles’ deportation and opens a Pandora’s box of family secrets.

Watch this exclusive behind-the-scenes video from Lost Souls (Animas Perdidas) in which Navarro explains the deeper themes of her film, including shifting definitions of “home” and “truth” in a family affected by addiction and deportation.

Lost Souls (Animas Perdidas) airs Tuesday, March 23 at 10:00 on Independent Lens on PBS (check local listings). A co-production of ITVS in association with WGBH-Boston and LPB.

Tags: behind-the-scenes, deportation, family, immigration, Mexico, Military