Films Across Borders: Stories of Migration

​The DC LaborFest is proud to be a co-sponsor of the Films Across Borders series, October 8 – December 12, 2017. 

Showcasing international tales of courage, hope, and determination, this careful selection of documentary and dramatic films will captivate you with stories of immigrants and refugees struggling to find a place to call home.

​Millions of migrants, countless stories, 25+ films, 10 venues. Most screenings are free, but some require RSVP; click below for the October line-up...

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Havarie 
Sun, October 8, 4pm – 6pm
National Gallery of Art - East Building Auditorium 4th & Constitution Ave NW, Washington DC  
Directed by Philip Scheffner, Germany, 2016, 93 minutes
Free, no reservations required.
Guest Speaker: Philip Scheffner, Film Director
In the Mediterranean a few miles off the Spanish coast, the blurred silhouette of a small refugee boat becomes visible to the passengers aboard a near-by cruise liner. A simple “found footage” recording—an amateur eyewitness video made by one of the cruise ship’s passengers—becomes the film’s central motif, replaying over and over this grim scenario. Through experimenting with image and sound (the soundtrack offers a textured, multilingual account of the historical and cultural forces that gave rise to this scenario), the distress of the situation slowly gains context.
Host Presenters: National Gallery of Art and Goethe-Institut

Limpiadores
Fri, October 13, 12pm – 1pm
AFL-CIO, 815 16th St NW, Washington, DC 20005
Free but you must RSVP here
40m; doc
A group of Latin American immigrants working as janitorial and cleaning staff at London’s most prestigious universities, decide to unionize and campaign for pension, health and vacation benefits.
Sponsored by the DC LaborFest, DC Immigration Film Festival, SEIU 32BJ

From the Land of Ghandi (3 dates, 3 locations!)
Tue, October 17, 6pm – 8pm: Busboys and Poets Takoma 
235 Carroll St NW, Washington, DC 20012; Free but you must RSVP here
Wed, October 18, 6pm – 8pm: Busboys and Poets Hyattsville
5331 Baltimore Ave, Hyattsville, MD 20781; Free but you must RSVP here
Tue, October 24, 6pm – 8pm: Busboys and Poets Shirlington
4251 Campbell Ave, Arlington, VA 22206; Free but you must RSVP here
Imagine a naïve dream: coming to the US to live freely. Now, imagine the dreamer not having the power to live freely for decades, because of their land of origin. Today, a high-skilled immigrant from India could wait more than 20 years to be a full member of US society, often tied to an employer, unable to change careers or start businesses, and living temporarily in their minds. This story of 4 immigrants, a decade after they came to study in the US, places a human face to the broken high-skilled immigration system. It sheds light on this largely unattended story of one million dreams waiting for freedom. It also highlights the need for reforming America’s high-skilled immigration at a time of intense globalization and the retirement of the baby boomers.
Sponsored by the DC LaborFest, the DC Immigration Film Festival, MD State Assembly Representative Jimmy Tarlau and NoVA Labor

Risking it All: Children at the Border (Films Across Borders Opening Night reception)
Fri, October 27, 6:30pm – 9:00pm
American University, McKinley Building 4400 Massachusetts Ave, NW Washington, DC
Free – Online registration required
Produced by Maria Elena Salinas, United States, 2014, 43 minutes. In English.
Maria Elena Salinas travels to Central America and the US/Mexico border to explore why children are risking it all to cross the border. In El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala, Salinas interviews fleeing children and their families, along with other pivotal players such as politicians, immigration experts, human rights supporters, human traffickers, and gang members.
Opening Night reception at 6:30 pm. Introduction and discussion with Maria Elena Salinas, Co- Anchor, Univision Network News, Aqui y Ahora and Host "The Real Story" on Investigation Discovery.
Q&A following screening moderated by Professor Jane Hall.
Host Presenters: AU School of Communication and College of Arts and Sciences and Immigration FilmFest

No Room for Refugees (A Program of Five Short Films)
Sat, October 28, 7pm – 9pm
Washington Ethical Society 7750 16th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20012
Host Presenter: Immigration Film Fest
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Films Across Borders: Stories of Migration, October 8 – December 12, 2017
Presented by AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center; American University School of Communication and College of Arts and Sciences; the National Gallery of Art; the DC LaborFest; the Immigration FilmFest; the Cultural Services of the French Embassy; the Goethe-Institut; the Mexican Cultural Institute and SPAIN Arts & Culture