At its core, Sanctuary is a compelling story with a strong Latina subject taking place in New York in a turbulent political climate. It allows the voice and experience of an undocumented woman, whose perspective is conventionally dismissed, to be truly heard. The filmmakers are also women of color.

Amanda Morales walked into a church in NYC not knowing when she would step outside again. The Guatemalan mother of three U.S. born children is the first immigrant since President Trump took office to claim sanctuary, publicly resisting her deportation within a space that ICE recognizes as protected.

 

About the Project

 

The Film: 
Sanctuary gains rare and intimate access to Amanda and her family as they fight to remain together and adapt to life inside of the church. The main narrative focuses on the ways in which the church becomes both sanctuary and prison for Amanda. We watch her endure the struggles of maintaining a stable family unit despite being unable to partake in normal activities such as taking her children to school or buying groceries. Though ICE has labelled her a ‘fugitive’, we see her as a loving and affectionate mother to her three young children and a valued member of her community. The film also explores the overlooked issue of trauma faced by children of undocumented parents. At the ages of 10, 8 and 3 respectively, Dulce, Daniela and David must confront the possibility that their mother may not be there when they return from school, rendering them ‘ICE Orphans’.

 

The film also follows the development of grassroots efforts to defend and protect immigrants.Two secondary characters, Rev. Dr. Luis Barrios and Father Juan Carlos Ruiz, bridge Amanda’s story to the development of the New Sanctuary Movement, an interfaith network standing in solidarity with undocumented families. Through them, Sanctuary examines the expanding political and secular role that the church plays for communities in the absence of federal security for residents in so-called sanctuary cities and states.

 

The Story Behind the Film: 

As a Mexican woman living in the United States, I keenly understand the challenges and rewards of the immigrant experience in difficult political climates. I have been filming with the New Sanctuary Movement for over a year and was already a trusted ally when Amanda decided to take sanctuary. The film is an intimate verite story that follows Amanda’s unfolding journey from the moment she packs her bags and leaves her home in Long Island in order to move into the Upper Manhattan church.

 

The situation with Amanda is difficult, fraught with anxiety and danger, but I established a strong relationship with her and her children as well as with the leaders of the protest movement. This sensitive approach allowed me to document true intimacy and to tell a story about one woman’s struggle while also filling in the broader context of the contentious issue of immigration in the age of Trump.

 

It was very important for me to set myself apart from the mainstream media which Amanda can find overwhelming and invasive. I sought to work collaboratively with Amanda, and to explore the cathartic processes possible within Documentary storytelling. By gifting Amanda a journal and gently encouraging her to describe her experiences in her own words and in her own time, I aim to centralize Amanda’s voice, as opposed to being a filmmaker who speaks for her subject.

 

Andrea Cordoba filming Sanctuary in 2017. 

 

What We Need

 

The film is nearly finished but there are few final things we need to pay for:

- Sound Design & Mixing 

- Music Composition

- Color Correction & Online Edit

 

In the event that we raise $15,000 to pay for the above items, my Stretch Goals include:

- Copyright Clearance Fees

- Film Festival Entry Fees

 

Why Support This Film?

Immigrants have become increasingly vulnerable and threatened under the Trump Administration. Although the so-called Muslim Ban and the Border Wall proposals have been blocked and delayed, statistics released by ICE suggest that Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda is having a very real impact on the ground. For example, since 2017, arrests of undocumented immigrants has risen by 38% with ICE detaining more than 400 people per day. The film is unique in that it gives a human face to these statistics, which by themselves can be difficult for the average American to digest, and easy to ignore.

 

The Morales family provides a relatable lens through which the crisis faced by the 11 million undocumented immigrants can be experienced and understood. It also aims to foster a solution-based attitude to the situation, by showcasing what can be achieved through grassroots community action. Furthermore, it approaches a widely discussed topic of immigration and deportation in a way which cultivates empathy, by allowing a viewer to understand how an attack on a single individual can be an attack on a community at large.

 

 

By supporting this project, you are supporting the immigrant community and spreading a message of acceptance and solidarity.

 

Furthermore, there aren't enough films directed by women. Hopefully this film will encourage future generations of women to go out and make films and seek out films by, for and about women. 

 

Lastly, Amanda has allowed me to film and follow the most difficult year of her life and I feel an enormous responsibility in telling her story. I would be forever grateful if you help me finish the film and share it with the world!