Our Story

Akanksha Cruczynski* moved to the States 11 years ago to go to college after growing up in Saudi Arabia and India. A few years ago Akanksha's mom applied for visas to the US for her and Akanksha's sister to go visit her. Her sister's visa was denied, under Immigration Clause Section 214(b): "inability to prove close ties to home country." Immigrants to the US everywhere are very familiar with this clause, having to plan for it any time they go in for a visa interview—and it is not uncommon for immigration officials to deny the visa of one member of the family, to give the rest of the family "a reason to go back."

What's this clause about? Under Section 214(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act:

"any temporary visitor must prove Strong Family, Social & Economic Ties to Home Country." Hence our title, Close Ties to Home Country. 

• "Strong ties are powerful and irrefutable reasons that would force an applicant to return to their home country, such as:
• - employment
• - dependent family members
• - properties
• - income-generating businesses."

Akanksha's sister was 17 at the time. She had just graduated high school. She didn't yet have a job, or any dependent family members, or any properties, or any income-generating businesses. Her visa was unreasonably denied and Akanksha hasn't seen her in seven years.

*not Polish. For a description, see Akanksha's bio.

Mission Statement

We wanted to make this film because of the overabundance of misinformation about immigration. The political administration has tried to divide and conquer, by trying to create two armies of "good immigrants" vs. "bad immigrants." We wanted to communicate that, even if you do everything "right," even if you immigrate here "legally" and follow every law, the system is still designed to work against you. The immigration system in this country is horrifically broken, and amongst local Americans, there is an enormous lack of awareness or understanding about the nuances of complexities forced upon immigrants to prove their value to this economy.

It is truly a testament to time that for a nation made of immigrants, there is little knowledge of how confounding, calculatedly, systemically oppressive the process now is to become one—particularly if you come from a non-Western nation or are not white.

A proud recipient of the Albert P. Weisman Award, a film grant awarded to outstanding projects, Close Ties to Home Country is Akanksha Cruczynski's graduate thesis film for her Master of Fine Arts degree at Columbia College. It is also an effort to create a dialogue about the trauma of not having seen her sister in seven years—a story she shares with immigrants all over the United States and elsewhere.

Synopsis

Our film follows Akanksha, a kind and well-meaning immigrant woman, who misses her family very much. In the meantime, she's found home in the hearts of the rich people’s dogs she dog-sits while they’re away on vacation or celebrating Christmas with families. Akanksha’s younger sister, back home in India, tries to come visit Akanksha but has her visa denied, literally tearing Akanksha’s family apart and destroying her vision of America as the land of the free.

In Akanksha's real life, she spends holidays—the times hardest being away from family—dogsitting, finding a support system in dogs that aren't hers. Dogs are so open and willing to love everyone. They don't see color, or class, or race, or national origin. Our project takes a real, lived experience from a fresh voice and uses comedy as a social and political tool to raise awareness—and hopefully, ultimately, affect real change.

We chose comedy as our genre because it is our strongest suit. Everyone likes to laugh—and with a topic this heavy, some comic relief is welcome! Comedy is a keen way to build bridges, foster relationships, and bring cultures together. And that's what this film is about—how and where we end up having to look for support and connection. 

But taking on such a big mission costs MONEY!!! This is where you, viewer, supporter, dog-lover come in. Columbia students are on their own when funding their projects, and we need money to make this important film. We can NOT do this without you. Donating via Seed & Spark is a wonderfully safe way to be a part of this project. Please consider donating and helping tell this crucial story. 

FAQs

Where will the money go?

Filmmaking is a very expensive artform. We're trying to raise funds to secure talent, rent locations, rent the right equipment for our shoot, rent trucks with lift gates to transport equipment, procure the necessary art to create the world for the film, purchase props and wardrobes, feed our cast and crew, secure insurance and permits, cover legal fees... the list goes on. All of our cast and crew are working for free, but we need the money to fund all of the rest! All funds raised will go towards the production of Close Ties to Home Country as explained further on the Wishlist Page.

How else can we help support?

You can do so much! By paying attention to stories different than our own, by listening, by sharing—that is how we facilitate change. Please help spread the word about our film—share this page with your friends, tell them about Drummond the Therapy Dog, and keep up with us on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. 

What happens next?

Principal photography is scheduled for July 2019. Our film will be completed in the fall of 2019, when we gear up for a year-long festival run. Our team is taking the film to pitch a proof-of-concept for a comedy-drama television series to potential investors, at film markets, and at pitch competitions. In addition, we intend to partner with civic advisors and local grassroots organizations to develop and execute a social impact campaign surrounding the exhibition of the film.