American Stories of Immigration and Belonging

Including the 2020 Oscar-nominated Walk Run Cha-Cha, join us for a selection five short films from The New York Times’s acclaimed Op-Docs series on the big screen. Testifying to the depth of our shared humanity, each entry in this newest collection, produced by Concordia Studios, offer a personal and diverse perspective on the immigrant experience, from the heartbreak of those detained by ICE and the hope that’s found on a dance floor to the optimism in a contest for girls in “the toughest town in Texas.”

After the screening, join Executive Producer John Turner to discover what went into making the films.

Boca del Lobo (13:51) Mario Guevara, a reporter for Mundo Hispánico, investigates the impact of ICE arrests on his Atlanta community.

El Vacío (12:15) Years living as an undocumented immigrant taught me not to believe in the American Dream.

To Be Queen (16:46) In Luling, the "toughest town in Texas", two Latina high school girls compete to be the next Watermelon Thump Queen.

Darlin (15:33) A family divided by immigration authorities struggles to reunite.

Walk Run Cha-Cha (20:24) Paul and Millie Cao lost their youth to the aftermath of the Vietnam War. Forty years later, they are rediscovering themselves on the dance floor in this 2020 Oscar Nonimee for Best Documentary Short.