Among the many “learning experiences” offered at Phoenix 2013 on July 3-4 was a film festival sponsored by Everence. The festival included feature-length films and documentaries that explore issues of immigration and antiracism.

Four of the five films shown were documentaries, and all are worth seeing. You may want to look for them on Netflix or other source for films on DVD.

Mad Hot Ballroom is a delightful documentary about schools in New York City that teach 11-year-olds ballroom dancing. It includes candid interviews with the kids and shows their growing interest in and ability to perform ballroom dancing. The film follows several kids from three public schools as they learn the merengue, rumba, tango, foxtrot and swing while preparing for a citywide competition.

Those participating in the learning experience had time to discuss the film after viewing it. We talked about the different cultures shown in the film. Many of the kids were Dominican; a few were Asian. We observed forms of oppression the kids experienced or mentioned: drugs, lack of economic opportunity, lack of safety for girls, that most of the teachers were white, that the male leads each dance.

Some noted ways the kids overcame such oppression: friendship, role models, empathy, common goals. Some said the film challenges our stereotypes about inner-city kids while also showing typical middle school problems.

The Visitor is the one feature film shown. It is outstanding (it was No. 2 on my top 10 list from 2008). Briefly, it tells the story of Walter, a professor who is bored with his life and is trying to learn to play the piano. Scheduled to attend a conference in New York City, he arrives at his apartment and finds Tarek Khalil, a Syrian musician, and Zainab, a Senegalese street vendor, living there. He lets these undocumented immigrants stay, and a bond forms. Tarek teaches Walter to play the drum. After an incident on the subway, Tarek is arrested and sent to a detention center for illegal immigrants.

The discussion focused on encountering the other. People mentioned the sense of powerlessness, how innocent people are treated like criminals.

One person said it juxtaposed personal transformation and an unchanging system. One said that “visitor” has multiple meanings. Another said it showed the irony of America being “the land of the free.”

Well-Founded Fear is a documentary about U.S. government workers who interview people seeking asylum in the United States. In the late 1990s, when the film was made, only about 1 percent of applicants were accepted. Today, after 9/11, the percentage is even lower. The workers look for inconsistencies in the applicants’ stories.

Facilitator Alicia Horst pointed out during the discussion afterward that INS is gone, and everything is under Homeland Security. She also said that lawyers for applicants can be disciplined if a claim is ruled frivolous.

We learned from the film the importance of translation. Getting accepted has as much to do with which worker you get as to your claim. Also, one’s presentation is key. And the people who apply have no rights.

No Man’s Land is a short documentary that covers the plight of the 100,000 unaccompanied minors who enter the United States. The film tells the heartrending story of 13-year-old Maria De Jesus and her cousin Rene, 12, who are arrested trying to cross from Mexico into the United States. Maria’s mother is in Chicago and hasn’t seen her daughter for seven years.

We divided into small groups and talked about the people portrayed. We discussed issues of human trafficking and drug smuggling.

Lost Boys of Sudan is a documentary that follows two teenage Sudanese refugees who make their way to America. Once there, they struggle with extreme cultural differences.
Because it ran concurrently with No Man’s Land, I did not attend this film.