Imagine leaving the country and home you love, running from war-torn surroundings, and crossing fronteras in below freezing shipping containers in the back of a semi-truck. Imagine having to leave your children behind in order to find work in a strange, foreign country just so you can provide for them. Imagine having to fight for sanctuary in this "safe" country, so you are not sent back to the life-threatening dangers of your homeland. Imagine having to endure racism, discrimination, and systematic and economic oppression as an immigrant worker in the country you understood as offering the "American Dream."

For Vicky and Francisco, these are not things they had to imagine, but hardships they faced as immigrants in the United States. In "I'm Human Too" by Jonathan Landeros, Vicky, an undocumented Honduran mother, remembers her experience of escaping violence and coming to the United States in an “ice box”: a below freezing shipping container carried in the back of semi-trucks. Vicky and her two children were hidden in these boxes. They used aluminum foil to stay warm and were barely given any food and when they were, it was slop. Today, they are offered sanctuary at the First Unitarian Church in Salt Lake City from ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement). She wants a chance at a normal life, as any would after enduring such hardship for the sake of survival.

Francisco, an immigrant from Mexico, talks of the struggle of leaving his kids to work in the U.S. in order to support them by sending money.  He hasn't seen his children in 14 years and wants a chance to see his family again, but their reunion has been delayed due to a broken knee which makes him unable to work or treat because he cannot afford surgery (healthcare costs and the economy being even more issues that many undocumented immigrants face.) He wants to see his family again, as many would if they had been separated from their loved ones. In the short documentary, Landeros sheds a light on the experiences of Vicky, Francisco, and other Latinx immigrants in Utah under Trump’s presidency.

How Did the Director Get The Idea to Create A Documentary About Immigrants?

Seventeen-year-old Jonathan Landeros of Salt Lake City, Utah grew up under the guidance of his “grandparents who moved here from Mexico for all the right reasons: a better life, a safer environment, and also a brighter future for their kids in the United States.” As a kid, when times were rough, Landeros turned to studying and creating films on his own. This became a safe and happy space in his life, and later, his passion and dream. He realized that by doing what he loved and followed his passions, he could help in the fight for social justice in this country. 

In 2016 came the spiraling of the U.S. government as Donald Trump was elected president and with it, came an increase in hatred towards immigrants, especially of non-white descent. Jonathan says, “all my life, I’ve been surrounded with love and happiness, but the ones that give me love are now being hated on for who they are, and now it is circling back to me. When does it stop?” As he recounts when discussing his short documentary, their migration was not to rape or bring drugs into the country as the current President of the U.S. would have everyone presume. “I’ve come to realize that the world is cruel, [and] seeing what’s happening to Latinx all across America through the media breaks my heart.” Jonathan knew he had to do something for the Mexican immigrant community that raised him to follow his dreams. So following his passion, he joined a nonprofit film-making group called Spyhop in 2018 and pitched his idea for a short film. He decided to fight back by telling the compelling stories of Vicky and Francisco, who would bring a more humane representation of the migrant experience in the U.S.

Behind the Scenes of the Creative Process

"I'm Human Too" premiered November 8th, 2018, at the Rose Wagner Theater of Downtown Salt Lake as part of the PItchnic short film series sponsored by the non-profit, Spyhop. In this short documentary film, Landeros brings awareness to the struggles of undocumented immigrants in this country. Landeros explains, “What really makes it stand out from the other short films like this are that it’s going to include my experiences, as well as stories from actual Latinx immigrants, and our shot style is much different as well. We have our subject in the ‘center third’ so it looks like they are talking directly to you, the audience member” making it a more intimate setting for the audience. The film has multiple interviews that touch on the client’s background, their family situation, their experiences coming to America, what forms of degradation and discrimination they have faced while in this country, and lastly, a personal message from the interviewee to the audience so that the listeners have that “takeaway” of wanting to create change. Through this act of storytelling and ending with a message of change, the audience can listen, learn, and go out into the community and spread that advocacy and change for undocumented immigrants.

The Message that Audience Members Should “Take Away”

Jonathan explains, “The purpose of this short movie is to spread awareness about the discrimination, bigotry, and challenges that Latinos face day to day.” Trump has called Latinx immigrants “rapists, drug dealers” and “animals” but “I’m Human Too” challenges that fear and ignorance. Landeros’ narrative and interviews with undocumented immigrants to bring to light their humanity and dignity; “it goes much deeper than just judging for the color of someone's skin, but that [discrimination] can heavily affect people mentally,” Landeros says. Bringing awareness to the hardships that undocumented immigrants battle in the face of a racist and unjust legal system shows that undocumented immigrants want the same thing as American citizens and the documented: a chance at a safe and stable life for themselves and their family. And we, as the audience, need to help create that chance for undocumented immigrants.

The purpose behind "I'm Human Too" was to create a short film that shows the diverse stories of a diverse community in order to shed a light on their struggles to bring empathy and action from the audience. Francisco and Vicky’s stories are not unique. Undocumented immigrants come to this country in dangerous conditions when leaving life-threatening situations only to arrive in a country that won’t accept them for who they are. In Landeros’ documentary, readers and viewers are invited to open their ears, listen to undocumented immigrants’ stories, and advocate for change and dignity for those who came to this country for a better life.

trailer

short film