Beyond Status Showcase

“Beyond Status” is a project that was launched in  2021, and centered on nurturing a space and opportunity for migrant filmmakers to create short form films as part of our ongoing effort to shift the narrative away from trauma-based headlines and abstract policy discussions and to center migrant filmmakers and the stories they have to tell that leave behind the one-dimensional focus on “status”.. Too often the few stories that are created  related to the migrant experience in the United States, are written and directed by non-migrant filmmakers, focusing on migrants as merely the subjects of the work with no real agency. The truth is, there are many migrant filmmakers who are experts in telling their stories, and have been developing filmmaking as their craft. All they need is some resources and an opportunity.

Spearheaded by The Center’s Lead Content Creator Jesús Iñiguez, an undocumented filmmaker himself, 2021’s inaugural showcase featured five different creatives of diverse backgrounds, living in different parts of the United States. All have been working as filmmakers for many years and have impressive resumes that speak to their drive and imagination as artists. And though these five shorts are not meant to be representative of ALL migrants living in the United States, they are genuine works from people who know how to best tell their own stories.

Stay tuned for the next showcase, coming early 2023!