A Day Without A Mexican
Film Showing
Sunday, October 8, 2006 at 4pm
Cooper Auditorium, Tepper School of Business
Hosted by the Latin American Business Club
Lecture by Sergio Arau & Yareli Arizmendi, Co-Writers, Director and Star of the Film
Monday, October 9, 2006 at 4:30pm
Current Immigration Issues in the United States
Gregg Hall, Porter Hall 100
Sponsored by the Heinz School, Department of Modern Languages, CAUSE, Department of History, Vice Provost for Education, AB Political Speakers, AB Lectures and Student Affairs
“How do you make the invisible, visible? You take it away.” One morning California wakes up to find that one third of its population has disappeared. As the day goes by we discover that the characteristic that links the 14 million disappeared is their Hispanic background. This is the premise of the film A Day Without A Mexican, released in 2004.
As filmmakers Arau and Arizmendi felt, beginning in 1994 with California’s Prop 187, that the half-truths constantly repeated in immigration discussions needed to be clarified. Using their artistic voice they intended to give form to a strong sentiment of discomfort they perceived in the Latino immigrant community but which up to now had had no clear shape, no loud voice. They believe that immigration reform is the civil rights struggle of our time. It is a struggle that affects all of us with its impact on the economic, social and cultural fabric of our society. In the spring of 2006, reality has imitated art. Immigration issues have exploded onto the national stage and currently there is a call for a National Boycott on May 1st -- No work, no school, no buying, no selling -- in support of immigration reform in the United States…all artists dream of changing the world. Their goal is to create work that is relevant to our times. If their work has encouraged social change, that is the ultimate satisfaction. In making this film, their objective was to open the dialogue on the issue of immigration by including factual information and alternative views that would change the terms of the discussion. This was in the hope of having the Latino community take its rightful place as an important contributor and player in the history and future of the United States. The film was meant as a fable, a warning to be heeded. Today, the fable has come to life. As they see reality and their imagination become one, they want to encourage people to participate in the struggle as they are able. They will be documenting the process and the outcome in hopes of furthering the discussion of the contribution made to our society and economy by not just the Latino immigrants but all immigrants. Their hope is that these contributions increase productivity and raise the standard of living for all of us.
For more information contact ehalf@andrew.cmu.edu or 412.268.2075.
Emily Half
Coordinator of Student Development
Housefellow for Boss and McGill
No comments:
Post a Comment