‘Define American Film Festival’ Highlights Immigrant Stories
By Steve Bynum‘Define American Film Festival’ Highlights Immigrant Stories
By Steve BynumAs DACA legislation and President Donald Trump’s travel bans hang in limbo, immigration activists like Jose Antonio Vargas believe that film can build a bridge to tolerance and understanding. He turned his belief into the annual “Define American Film Festival,” coming to Chicago this week. Vargas jumped into the national spotlight after his acclaimed 2011 New York Times Magazine essay, “My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant.” His forthcoming memoir is Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen.
Worldview talks with Vargas about his views on the growing climate of xenophobia in the Trump era. Joining Vargas is Robert Greene, a documentary filmmaker, writer and assistant professor at the University of Missouri School of Journalism. His latest project, Bisbee ‘17, will screen at the film festival.