The Undocumented
Encyclopedia
The Undocumented is a 90-minute documentary film
from director Marco Williams
, which investigates the causes and effects of migrant deaths along the Arizona-Mexico border.
s who have died in the Arizona desert, and follows them on their long journey home. The film is woven from multiple narrative threads. In Arizona
, it depicts the efforts of the Pima County
Medical Examiner and the Mexican Consulate of Tucson
to name unidentified deceased border crossers with the ultimate goal of returning them to their families. It also follows United States Border Patrol
Search and Rescue (BORSTAR) agents, who must balance law enforcement
with lifesaving. In Mexico, the film documents the reunification of the dead with their families and chronicles stories of loved ones who disappeared while crossing the border, never to be heard from again.
, with 213 confirmed to have died in the Tucson sector alone in fiscal year 2009. Researchers have attributed the preponderance of migrant deaths in Arizona to a so-called "funnel effect." They argue that the militarization
of the border has caused illegal immigrants to risk crossing through more remote sections of the Arizona desert, leading to a spike in Arizona's migrant deaths, which rose from 9 in 1990 to 201 in 2005.
began in February 2010, with editor David Meneses and associate producer Thomas Peyton working alongside director Marco Williams.
The Undocumented is being produced with support from ITVS
, the Ford Foundation
, and the Fledgling Fund. Produced for PBS, it is tentatively scheduled to air in early 2011.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
from director Marco Williams
Marco Williams
Marco Williams is a documentary filmmaker and professor of film production at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. His films have received several awards, including the Gotham Documentary Achievement Award for and he has been nominated three times for the Sundance Film Festival grand...
, which investigates the causes and effects of migrant deaths along the Arizona-Mexico border.
Synopsis
The Undocumented tells the stories of migrantMigrant
Migrant may refer to:*Immigration and emigration, the migration of humans*Bird migration*Migrant worker*Migrant literature...
s who have died in the Arizona desert, and follows them on their long journey home. The film is woven from multiple narrative threads. In Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, it depicts the efforts of the Pima County
Pima County, Arizona
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*74.3% White*3.5% Black*3.3% Native American*2.6% Asian*0.2% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.7% Two or more races*12.4% Other races*34.6% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
Medical Examiner and the Mexican Consulate of Tucson
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
to name unidentified deceased border crossers with the ultimate goal of returning them to their families. It also follows United States Border Patrol
United States Border Patrol
The United States Border Patrol is a federal law enforcement agency within U.S. Customs and Border Protection , a component of the Department of Homeland Security . It is an agency in the Department of Homeland Security that enforces laws and regulations for the admission of foreign-born persons to...
Search and Rescue (BORSTAR) agents, who must balance law enforcement
Law enforcement
Law enforcement broadly refers to any system by which some members of society act in an organized manner to promote adherence to the law by discovering and punishing persons who violate the rules and norms governing that society...
with lifesaving. In Mexico, the film documents the reunification of the dead with their families and chronicles stories of loved ones who disappeared while crossing the border, never to be heard from again.
Historical background
According to US Border Patrol statistics, 417 undocumented border crossers died trying to enter the United States in fiscal year 2009, representing the first increase in four years. The majority of migrant deaths occur in Arizona's Sonoran desertSonoran Desert
The Sonoran Desert is a North American desert which straddles part of the United States-Mexico border and covers large parts of the U.S. states of Arizona and California and the northwest Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur. It is one of the largest and hottest...
, with 213 confirmed to have died in the Tucson sector alone in fiscal year 2009. Researchers have attributed the preponderance of migrant deaths in Arizona to a so-called "funnel effect." They argue that the militarization
Militarization
Militarization, or militarisation, is the process by which a society organizes itself for military conflict and violence. It is related to militarism, which is an ideology that reflects the level of militarization of a state...
of the border has caused illegal immigrants to risk crossing through more remote sections of the Arizona desert, leading to a spike in Arizona's migrant deaths, which rose from 9 in 1990 to 201 in 2005.
Production status and broadcast
Principle filming of The Undocumented took place from June to December 2009. Post-productionPost-production
Post-production is part of filmmaking and the video production process. It occurs in the making of motion pictures, television programs, radio programs, advertising, audio recordings, photography, and digital art...
began in February 2010, with editor David Meneses and associate producer Thomas Peyton working alongside director Marco Williams.
The Undocumented is being produced with support from ITVS
ITVS
Independent Television Service is a service in the United States which funds and presents documentaries and dramas on public television, new media projects on the Internet, and the weekly series Independent Lens and Global Voices on PBS....
, the Ford Foundation
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is a private foundation incorporated in Michigan and based in New York City created to fund programs that were chartered in 1936 by Edsel Ford and Henry Ford....
, and the Fledgling Fund. Produced for PBS, it is tentatively scheduled to air in early 2011.