Munich
24th Filmfest Munich
July 15-22, 2006
The One Future Prize, as chosen by the jury of the Interfilm Academy Munich, is awarded to
Crossing Arizona
by Joseph Mathew and Dan De Vivo, USA 2005
With heightened securitiy along the more heavily populated areas of the U.S.-Mexican border, more and more illegal migrants attempting to enter the United States are dying in the desert in Arizona.
On the one hand these migrants are unwanted by many, on the other, they are needed as cheap seasonal labor. Many of them have no choice. They have to go where the work is, border or no border.
Seen through the eyes of ranchers, border patrol agents, local politicians and farmers dependent on an illegal work force, seasoned humanitarian activists as well as rightwing border security zealots, CROSSING ARIZONA reveals the complicated dilemmas presented by the border crisis including national policies that have failed.
The filmmakers have made a well researched and intelligent film about human rights, culture, race, class und national security. The cinematography, editing and music all have an aesthetic quality that serves their purpose exceptionally well.
Illegal immgrants are not just dying in the USA. This is an immense worldwide problem in volving many wealthy and poor nations. In this age of increasing globalization, ever-growing populations and deacreasing resources, we are all challenged to stand up for a future with social justice fo all.
„Nobody deserves to die in the desert for a cup of water.“
Synopsis: CROSSING ARIZONA is a far-reaching and up-to-the-moment look at the hotly debated issues of illegal immigration and national security as social justice for all. captured at America’s current flashpoint – the Arizona/Sonora border. With heightened U.S. security along the California,Texas, and New Mexico borders, each day thousands of migrants attempting to enter the United States are being diverted into the most treacherous terrain of Arizona’s brutal desert. The perilous journey, which can take up to four days, has caused a dramatic rise in the number of migrant deaths.Those who make it – the undocumented immigrants who live and work in the U.S. – invoke a wide range of impassioned responses and conflicting concerns over human rights, culture, race, class, and national security. CROSSING ARIZONA explores the impact of failed U.S. policies on those most directly effected – the local communities. Seen through the eyes of frustrated ranchers, border patrol agents, local politicians, farmers dependent on an illegal work force, seasoned humanitarian activists, desperate migrants preparing for their journey north, and the Minutemen who have become darlings of the national media, CROSSING ARIZONA unveils the complicated dilemmas presented by the border crisis. (Festival information)
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