Thread: U.S. Prohibits Moviegoing Mexicans

http://www.cinemablend.com/new.php?id=2330

U.S. Prohibits Moviegoing Mexicans
By Scott Gwin: 2006-03-08

Were you attracted to this article by the potentially inflammatory title? If you answered yes, then we both win. I got you here with a true but slightly hyperbolized title and you get a chance to understand how that tactic is sometimes unfairly used.

The South by South West Film Festival in Austin, TX got a taste of irony this week when multiple visas were denied, and no I'm not talking about credit cards. According to a story at Movie City News, some of the Mexican actors in a documentary film set to show at the festival won't be attending the showing because they were unable to acquire visas to travel to the U.S. Oddly enough, the film entitled Letters From the Other Side is in part about Mexican women who struggle with not being able to enter the United States legally.

As someone who grew up very close to the Mexican border (and regularly crossed it from time to time to take in the wonderful south-of-the-border culture) I've made friends with many folks living in Mexico. I understand that getting legal permission for Mexicans to travel in the U.S. can be difficult. I also understand that part of that problem lies with the sheer volume of requests the U.S. consulates receive. I find it kind of funny that there would be such a fuss over these women being denied access to attend a movie screening when the fact that they even applied is only further gumming up the works for folks applying to come to get an education or visit a dying loved one.

The documentary probably has some legitimate (if not terrifically one sided) arguments to make concerning the issues of border politics and economics and the toll they're taking on individuals. In a world where there isn't a massive illegal immigrant problem (which includes legal document holders "forgetting" to go home when the visa expires) I would find this news slightly more concerning. But we don't live in that world and the filmmakers lose some credibility with me when they promote their film with news that their stars were denied "front of the line" access to visas just to attend a film festival. That's the kind of low I'd expect from Michael Moore.

Right on, Scott !

Tell the film-makers to go see, "Cry Me a River".