For Immediate Release
Friday, October 18, 2013
Contact: Deborah Tudor, Associate Dean of the SIU College of Mass Communications and Media Arts, (618) 453-4308, dtudor@siu.edu
Documentary Captures Realities Behind Illegal Immigration
Carbondale, Ill. -- Southern Illinois University’s College of Mass Communications and Media Arts (MCMA), WSIU Public Broadcasting, and the Carbondale Public Library continue Community Cinema this month with a free screening and discussion of the film The State of Arizona on Saturday, October 26 at 2:30pm at the library, 405 West Main in Carbondale.
Cindy Buys, immigration law expert at the SIU School of Law, and Bridget Phillips of the Cobden Migrant Center will lead a discussion after the film. Refreshments will be provided.
Tracking the year after Arizona passed Senate Bill 1070, its controversial “papers please” law, The State of Arizona tells the stories of Arizonans on all sides of this divisive issue and depicts a state and its people testing the edges of our democratic values.
The film interweaves the volatile themes of immigration and race portrayed through a mosaic of characters and their responses to Senate Bill 1070. We see Arizonans roiled by the pending law. Neighborhoods empty, businesses shutter, and immigrants flee the state. Those who choose to stay organize boycotts, mass demonstrations, daring acts of civil disobedience, and prepare families for the possibility of separation by sudden deportation. In contrast, the film also travels deep into the spirit of the newly empowered Tea Party movement for whom illegal immigration is a flashpoint.
Additional details about the film are available at http://www.itvs.org/films/state-of-arizona.
The remaining schedule is as follows: Las Marthas (February 22), The Trials of Muhammad Ali (March 29), Medora (April 26), and The New Black (May 31). Each screening will feature a facilitator and guest speakers who will participate in a discussion with the audience about the topics raised in the films.
Community Cinema is a groundbreaking civic engagement initiative from the Independent Television Service (ITVS) that brings to light unforgettable stories about unique individuals, underrepresented communities, or pivotal moments in history. The film screenings and discussions are designed to bring together leading organizations, community members, and public television stations to discuss and get involved in key social issues of our time.
For more information about WSIU's Community Cinema screenings, contact Associate Dean of the SIU College of Mass Communications and Media Arts, Deborah Tudor, at (618) 453-4308 or dtudor@siu.edu. Visit our local Community Cinema website at http://www.wsiu.org/communitycinema.
Community Cinema is a service of Independent Television Services (ITVS) and is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
About WSIU Public Broadcasting
WSIU Public Broadcasting is licensed to the Board of Trustees of Southern Illinois University and is an integral part of the College of Mass Communication & Media Arts on the Carbondale campus. The WSIU stations reach more than three million people across five states and beyond through three digital public television channels, three public radio stations, a radio information service, a website, and an education and community outreach department.
WSIU's mission is to improve the quality of life of the people they serve. The WSIU stations partner with other community organizations to promote positive change and to support the academic and public service missions of Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Learn more and get the latest station news online at wsiu.org and on WSIU's Facebook and Twitter pages.
WSIU's programs and services are partially funded by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.
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