The New Americans
2004
Directed by Susan Aiken, Carlos Aparicio, Jerry Blumenthal, Fenell Doremus, Evangeline Griego, Steve James, Indu Krishnan, Gordon Quinn, Gita Saedi, and Renee Tajima-Peña
Kartemquin Films
Chicago, IL
This 7-part series follows four years in the lives of a diverse group of contemporary immigrants and refugees as they journey to start new lives in America. Two Los Angeles Dodgers prospects from the Dominican Republic follow major league dreams while facing the realities of migrant life. An Indian couple migrates to Silicon Valley and navigates the dot-com boom and bust. A Mexican meatpacking worker struggles to reunite his family in rural Kansas. Two families of Nigerian refugees (including the sister of slain Ogoni activist, Ken Saro-Wiwa) escape government persecution. A Palestinian woman marries into a new life in Chicago only to discover in the wake of September 11, she cannot leave behind the pain of her homeland’s conflict. The series shows a wide spectrum of migrant experiences in the U.S. through engaging longitudinal character studies.
