MIAMI FILM FESTIVAL – WORLD PREMIERE
MIAMI FILM FESTIVAL – WORLD PREMIERE
Composer: Laura Karpman
Don't miss this timely new film on youth, family, and America's broken immigration system...
'PAPER CHILDREN'
AWARD-WINNING MIAMI DIRECTOR ALEXANDRA CODINA’S POWERFUL & TIMELY NEW DOCUMENTARY ‘PAPER CHILDREN’ ON YOUTH AT THE CENTER OF THE REFUGEE CRISIS TO HAVE WORLD PREMIERE AT MIAMI FILM FESTIVAL
Competing for the Documentary Achievement Award and the Knight Made In MIA Feature Film Award
'Paper Children,' from an all female team: director, producers, writers, composer, and distribution executives, debuts at MFF on International Women's Day
'PAPER CHILDREN'
AWARD-WINNING MIAMI DIRECTOR ALEXANDRA CODINA’S POWERFUL & TIMELY NEW DOCUMENTARY ‘PAPER CHILDREN’ ON YOUTH AT THE CENTER OF THE REFUGEE CRISIS TO HAVE WORLD PREMIERE AT MIAMI FILM FESTIVAL
Competing for the Documentary Achievement Award and the Knight Made In MIA Feature Film Award
'Paper Children,' from an all female team: director, producers, writers, composer, and distribution executives, debuts at MFF on International Women's Day
SYNOPSIS
Paper Children explores America’s invisible refugee crisis through the eyes of one Miami family who navigates a broken system with unwavering resilience. The four siblings and their parents work hard at a new start together, as far away from the frightening gang violence in their native Honduras as possible. As they begin to heal from past trauma, the thorny complexities of the US immigration system lead to crushing setbacks that once again threaten their sense of security. Through it all, the family holds on to their faith and loving spirit—they’ve risked too much to give up hope.
MFF Programmers Note: Miami native Alexandra Codina's 2010 documentary, Monica & David, established her filmmaker's voice as one of extraordinary sensitivity and empathy. Paper Children enhances this well-deserved reputation, going beyond the traditional immigration narrative into a nuanced consideration of how America cares for the most vulnerable found in its embrace.
SCREENINGS AT MFF
Public Screening #1
Sunday, March 8 at 6:30 PM
MDC's Tower Theater Miami 1
Director/producer Alexandra Codina, producers Susan Margolin and Aymée Cruzalegui, and film subjects in-person for Q&A.
Press & Industry Screening
Thursday, March 12 at 3:30 PM
Silverspot Cinema #16
Director/producer Alexandra Codina available for interview following the screening, if pre-scheduled.
Public Screening #2
Saturday, March 14 at 12:30 PM
MDC's Tower Theater Miami 1
Following the screening, a panel discussion will be held, moderated by Pamela Silva Conde of Univision’s “Primer Impacto”. Participants include Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami, Rebeca Sanchez Roig, former Deputy Chief Counsel at the Department of Homeland Security, ICE, and director/producer Alexandra Codina.
DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT
"I began researching the topic in 2014 after reading a report that included the personal stories of several children who fled Central America that year. At the time, I had a newborn baby, and the idea of being forced to send him across a border alone shook me to the core. I was equally horrified at how un-American and arbitrary our immigration system has become, especially towards vulnerable children. My father arrived from Cuba in the 1960s as part of a mass exodus of unaccompanied children, known as Operation Pedro Pan. Like Fernando and his siblings, my father was welcomed by Catholic Charities once he arrived in Miami. Although he dealt with the same assimilation struggles as these children from Central America, he was granted immediate refugee status, graduated from high school, and went on to embody the American dream. If I were in Karen or my grandmother’s shoes, I too would do everything in my power to keep my children safe."
– Alexandra Codina
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Alexandra Codina’s debut film, Monica & David, tells the love story of two adults with Down syndrome. The film won Tribeca Film Festival’s Jury Award, was nominated for an Emmy Award, premiered on HBO, and broadcast in 33 countries. Monica & David was featured in New York Times, Washington Post, Newsweek, ABC, Harper’s Bazaar, Variety, and Latina Magazine. A Chicken & Egg Pictures Accelerator Lab grantee, Ali’s work has been supported by: Knight Foundation, The Fledgling Fund, The Perspective Fund, Sundance Knight Fellowship, South Florida Arts Consortium & Tribeca All Access. She is currently producing Untitled Chinese in Africa Project with Jialing Zhang (director/producer of One Child Nation). Of Cuban descent, Ali lives in Miami and is the mother of two young boys.
CREDITS
Director and Producer: Alexandra Codina
Producer: Susan Margolin, Aymée Cruzalegui
Editor: Lorena LucianoComposer: Laura Karpman
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