Out of the shadows and onto the big screen

Locals create the documentary “Papers” highlighting problem of undocumented youth

By El Grupo Juvenil,
The “Papers” Youth Crew
The Portland Upside
October 2009

Director Anne Galisky, (first row, second from left) and members of El Grupo Juvenil worked together to document the struggles undocumented youth must deal with after they turn 18.

On Sept. 26, the documentary “Papers” launched its national tour at the Hollywood Theatre in Portland, Oregon. That’s because the filmmakers, both youth and adults, wanted to showcase their extraordinary adventure in their hometown.

“Papers” is a film about undocumented youth and the challenges they face as they turn 18 without legal status. The film highlights the approximately two million undocumented children who were raised and live in the U.S., but were born in other countries. They were educated in American schools, know only the U.S. as home, and upon high school graduation, find the door to their future closed because it is against the law for them to work or drive. It is difficult, if not impossible in some states, for them to attend college.

Currently, there is no path to citizenship for most of these young people. They must begin adulthood living in the shadows, when they desire deeply, like most young people, to pursue their dreams and contribute their skills and abilities to our communities.

Portland-based Graham Street Productions made “Papers” in partnership with Film Action Oregon. The filmmakers worked with undocumented youth who wanted to tell their stories, as well as with national and local community organizations working to change immigration policy on behalf of them.

The “Papers” crew includes adult and youth, gay and straight, Latino, Jewish, Japanese-American, African-American and Anglo, ages 17 to 72. Director Anne Galisky is of Polish decent and has a rich immigration story of her own that stretches from the Ukraine to Mexico to Los Angeles. The producer, Rebecca Shine, of Jewish descent, was also inspired by the struggles and successes of her own people.

The five main characters in the film represent the diversity of young immigrants in the U.S. today: a Guatemalan-American girl who risks deportation before her eighteenth birthday; a Mexican-American student who lives on two borders as both a gay Latino and as an undocumented student; a Korean-American student who dreams of college but encounters only stone walls; a Jamaican-American young woman who wants desperately to use her college degree but finds herself exploited in dead-end jobs; and a Mexican-American teenager who wants to leave life in the streets for something more positive, but lacks the papers to take the next steps.

By choosing to tell their stories of being undocumented in America, the youth depicted in the film risk arrest, detention and deportation to countries they do not even remember. Aware that they no longer tell their stories for their own relief or even for the benefit of people they know, they have nevertheless taken responsibility for representing all the undocumented children who go to American schools only to live in the shadows of society after graduation. The characters in the film talk about possible solutions to this dilemma.

The project is not only about creating a compelling film, however. It is also about training young leaders in social justice.

One unique aspect of the film’s production is the three youth producers, founders of El Grupo Juvenil, who were involved in every aspect of the project, including planning, fundraising, public speaking, filming, interviewing and outreach. Ages 18 through 20, the three grew El Grupo Juvenil to include young people from seven different school districts in the Portland metro area as well as dozens of youth from around the country who participated in the film.

Although the three founders of El Grupo Juvenil are Mexican-American, they work with youth from many cultures and ethnicities. They have spent the last couple of years working hard to do something positive with their lives. Not only have they produced this film, a companion book and a discussion guide, they have also designed and facilitated workshops about immigration, discrimination and storytelling at local schools, including George Middle School, Madison High School, Beaverton International School, Southridge High School, and Portland Community College. They have mentored at-risk youth, including homeless youth, young adults with developmental disabilities, and high school students in danger of dropping out.

In the process of making the film, El Grupo Juvenil has found allies in U.S. Senators and Representatives, national immigrant rights leaders and other powerful individuals around the country. They have received over 1400 donations from 24 states, as well as requests for screenings from colleges, community groups and independent theaters across the country. The filmmakers have also submitted their work to film festivals and television broadcasters.

The “Papers” crew believes that as a society we risk losing the immense passion and talent of these immigrant American youth and that a change can be made, a hopeful and uplifting message in a country with a long tradition of immigration.

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Tour dates can be found online at www.papersthemovie.com For more information, call 503-282-8683 or email el.grupo.juvenil@grahamstreetproductions.com

El Grupo Juvenil was started by three young people who wanted to represent the 2 million undocumented youth in the country. They have grown to include over 150 youth from around the country who are participating in this project.