Mexican actors denied visas
By M&C News Mar 8, 2006, 12:20 GMT
After successful screenings and reviews at Slamdance, ‘Letters From the Other Side’ will be screening at the 2006 South by South West Film Festival (SXSW) in Austin Texas beginning March 10, although the women featured in the documentary will not be able to attend.
The U.S. Consulate in Mexico City has denied their visa applications, despite letters from the director of the film, SXSW, and assistance from Congressman Lloyd Doggett’s office.
“Unfortunately, the failed attempt to get visas for the women in my film echoes some of the themes of the film which is how difficult it is for a Mexican to be able to enter this country legally. It’s nearly impossible,” says the film’s director Heather Courtney.
‘Letters From the Other Side’ interweaves video letters carried across the U.S.-Mexico border by the film's director with the personal stories of women left behind in post-NAFTA Mexico.
In one video letter exchange, a U.S. Homeland Security official watches a video of Laura, a Mexican woman whose husband died in 2003 along with 18 others in the worst immigrant smuggling case in U.S. history. "How many more deaths does it take for the U.S. government to do something?" she asks.
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http://movies.monstersandcritics.com/news/article_1135415.php/Mexican_actors_denied_visas