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Film Reviews

Many of these feature-length films can be found on www.imdb.com or www.amazon.com. Movies are arranged by year and then alphabetically by title. A special thanks to Sheela Murthy for compiling many of these films.

While some movies deal directly with immigration as a theme, others are slightly more nuanced yet still touch on the topic. If you know of an immigration-themed movie that is not on this list, please let us know.

Gangs Of New York

Gangs of New York is Martin Scorsese's epic film depicting the brutal xenophobia felt-and acted on- by those already here toward newly-arrived immigrants in 19th Century New York City. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio (Titanic, 1997), Cameron Diaz (There's Something About Mary, 1998), and Daniel Day Lewis (My Left Foot, 1989).

Year Released: 2002

In This World

Enayat and Jamal are Afghan refugees who live in a camp in Peshawar and try to escape to Great Britain by the help of human traffickers. Their dangerous journey leads them along the "Silk Road" through Pakistan, Iran and Turkey.  A film by Michael Winterbottom.

Year Released: 2002

My Big Fat Greek Wedding

My Big Fat Greek Wedding is an independent film directed by Joel Zwick, written and starred in by Nia Vardalos, Toula is the dutiful, aging daughter, in a large Greek-American family. She meets and falls in love with Ian Miller (John Corbett) - not the nice Greek boy her family had in mind for her! How far are Toula and Ian willing to go to make a marriage her family can live with?  Fairly hackneyed at times, it is nevertheless an amusing story about cultural misunderstandings and reconciliation.

Year Released: 2002

Real Women Have Curves

Ana (America Ferrera) has graduated from her East Los Angeles high school and been awarded a full scholarship to Columbia University. Despite this success, Ana's Mexican-American parents believe it is time for her to work and help to support the family. Spending the summer laboring in a sewing factory with other Chicanas, Ana gains a deep respect for these women and learns what is essential for her to make her own way in the world.

Year Released: 2002

Spellbound

This documentary was an unexpected success. It is about the 1999 National Spelling Bee championship competition in Washington D.C.  The film celebrates the diversity of America through the children competing and their families who support them. Of the eight finalists, three are from immigrant families. The competitors are old enough to have rich and individual personalities, yet still young enough that they are not afraid to show themselves as they really are.

Year Released: 2002

The Guru

Ramu (Jimi Mistry) is a dance instructor in the U.K. who decides he is going to America to pursue the American Dream. A fan of American movies since childhood, Ramu's goal is to become a film star. Through his own naiveté and a series of coincidences, he fills in for an old guru at a party attended by the rich and famous and becomes famous as a sex guru. Directed by Daisy von Scherler Mayer.  Starring Marisa Tomei (My Cousin Vinny, 1992) and Heather Graham (Boogie Nights, 1997).


 


 

Year Released: 2002

A Well-Founded Fear

Political asylum in the United States - who deserves it? Who gets it? Who decides? Enter the closed corridors of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service for an extraordinary close-up look at what has been called "The Ellis Island of the 21st Century". This is the original uncut Sundance festival version of the influential and classic documentary.

Year Released: 2001

ABCD

Starring the acclaimed actress (and author of numerous books), Madhur Jaffrey (Shakespeare Wallah, 1965), as a widow trying to reconcile a decision made decades earlier to move to the United States. It is a story experienced by the children of immigrants the world over. They know no country so well as the one in which they have grown up, but don't feel connected to it or to the country from which their parents came. They are adrift between cultures, at constant odds with their parents.

Year Released: 2001

Border Crossings

Border Crossings - Cruzando Fronteras touches on the crucial issues that surround the increased security on the U.S. / Mexico border. The United States Border Patrol-now part of the Department of Homeland Security- has a history of abusing its power. Examples of this abuse range from sexual assault to unnecessary use of deadly force.

Year Released: 2001

Death On A Friendly Border

Since the mid-1990s, when the United States began concentratedly building up its southern border, an average of one person a day has died crossing into our country due to fire from border patrolmen. Death on a Friendly Border puts a human face on this international tragedy. We hear the story of one woman's journey from her impoverished village in Mexico into the US desert with her 18 month-old baby. We also hear the stories of migrant workers, border patrol agents and activists tenaciously protesting this desperate state of affairs. 

Year Released: 2001