2020 Filmmaker In Residence
When undocumented Latinx mothers Jeanette and Ingrid face deportation and separation from their young children– they courageously enter local churches to find refuge from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) while keeping their families together. Over five years, they must face the constant threat of ICE raids while fighting for their legal status and inspiring allies in the predominantly white faith communities. Through an intimate lens, the film showcases the unwavering strength, love, and sacrifice of these mothers, who risk everything to keep their families together in the country they call home. SI PUDIERA QUEDARME is a call to action and a timely reminder of the transformation that can occur when communities work together for justice.
Theo Rigby is a director, cinematographer, and interactive storyteller based out of San Francisco. He has been creating stories focusing on the immigrant experience in the U.S. for over the last decade and is the founder of iNation Media. Theo recently directed and shot Waking Dream, a six-part series following a diverse cast of young undocumented people with DACA permits. The series was funded by ITVS, premiered on Indielens Storycast, and is currently reaching wide audiences through a multi-platform impact campaign. Theo also directed Immigrant Nation, a series of short films about immigration in the U.S. including The Caretaker, The Mayor, and Marathon, as well as an online storytelling platform, and series of live storytelling events. Immigrant Nation has been showcased on the New York Times, nationally broadcast on POV, shown at Ellis Island, the 2014 New York Film Festival, and 2012 Cannes Film Festival. The project received a MacArthur Documentary Film grant, as well as a Tribeca Institute New Media Fund grant. His film, Sin País (Without Country), won a Student Academy Award, has screened in over 30 film festivals, and was nationally broadcast on PBS’ Independent Documentary Series, POV, in 2012. Theo graduated with a M.F.A. in Documentary Film from Stanford University and before making films was an award-winning photojournalist working for major newspapers and magazines around the world.
Project description and bios courtesy of the Resident