not Quite Here, not Quite There Synopsis
Media representations of immigrants dehumanize the people they portray. not Quite Here, not Quite There is a visual companion to a poem written by Diana Peña, focusing on the undocumented experience.
About the Youth Filmmakers
Diana Peña (16 years old) is a high school student and storyteller who enjoys presenting stories regardless of medium. She immigrated from Mexico when she was 3 and grew up in the humming streets of Boyle Heights. Cared for by a single mother in a small home with seven others, she has worked as a janitor alongside her mother at Boyle Heights Beat where she learned about the Girls’ Voices Now program. She has recently taken to screenwriting, and her hobbies include writing online fanfiction, styling and clothes altering.
Emily Ponce (14 years old) is a freshman with a keen interest in volleyball. She also volunteers at Cedar Sinai Hospital and California Hospital, where she learns about opportunities that were not given to her parents, who made many sacrifices to immigrate to the United States. She hopes to become a therapist to give back to her parents and community.
Kianna Teachout (18 years old) is a Sophomore Intermedia major at the Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland, Oregon, where she was the recipient of the Bridgetown and CSSA Scholarships. She is an alumni of the Oxbow School of Art, the California State Summer School for the Arts, Ryman Arts, and the CalArts Community Arts Partnership.
She is a member of GetLit, and has participated in multiple GetLit Classic Slams, as well as the annual Henry-Camp Blair Shakespeare Festival at Chapman University. She is a published poet who is featured in the 2019 anthology, This Moment: Bold Voices from WriteGirl. She is an activist, writer, actor, visual artist, and is a lover of literature and film.
Film Screening Guide
PRE-FILM REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
- What are some stereotypes you’ve heard about undocumented immigrants? Do you think they’re true? What is your opinion of undocumented immigrants?
- Why do you think people become immigrants?
- What is your knowledge about the current immigration policies in this country? Do you believe they are ethical?
- Do you know what’s currently occurring in the detention camps for immigrants? Why do you think immigrants are being detained in detention facilities?
- Have you heard of DACA — Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals ?
POST-FILM DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
- What are some ways the writer has been affected as a result of being an immigrant?
- How can you be an ally to undocumented immigrants?
- Were you able to relate personally to any parts of the film?
- In the film the writer asks, “is soil all that makes us American?” What do you think she means by that? What do you think it means to be American?
- In the film the writer says, “and isn’t that the American Dream? we’re a huddled people yearning to breathe free.” What do you think the American Dream is?
- After watching this film do you feel more equipped to engage in constructive conversations around immigrant issues?
CALLS TO ACTION:
1. SHARE THIS FILM: Copy/paste below
On Twitter and Facebook
#notquiteherenotquitethere — Watch a short doc about #immigration by #femaleyouth and #WOC #empathytoaction #womensvoicesnow #girlsvoicesnow #defyhate #daca #immigrant #resist #protest #borders #neveragain #detentioncamps #bridgesnotborders https://bit.ly/2kwOiRF
On Instagram
Watch the #WOC made short doc #notquiteherenotquitethere a film about #immigration as told through the eyes of #femaleyouth #empathytoaction #womensvoicesnow #girlsvoicesnow #defyhate #daca #immigrant #resist #protest #borders #neveragain #detentioncamps #bridgesnotborders @Womens_Voices_Now https://bit.ly/2kwOiRF
2. HOST A SCREENING of this film using this screening guide.
3. READ THE RESOURCES provided below and take calls to action where you see them
4. SIGN PETITIONS
5. DONATE to help undocumented youth, detained individuals, and fight against family separation:
Do your homework before donating!
Make sure to verify a charity’s legitimacy is to look it up on a site such as Charity Navigator, CharityWatch, BBB Wise Giving Alliance and Great Nonprofits. These sites rate nonprofits and allow you to find out more about the organization and how donations are spent.
Organizations we vetted
2. RESOURCES
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- The Supreme Court Takes up DACA Appeal– An article on what DACA is, and what is at risk should it be dismantled.
- Inside a Texas Building where the Government is holding Immigrant Children– An article in which Some of the lawyers interviewing immigrant children held in Border Patrol detention facilities were so disturbed by what they saw that they have decided to talk to the media.
- Everything We Know About the Inhumane Conditions at Migrant Detention Camps
- Know Your Rights: If you or someone you know is at risk of being targeted by the ICE raids, share these documents:
*ACLU: Know your Rights as an Immigrant, Contact Your local ACLU affiliate.
*National Immigration Law Center: Know Your Rights
*A Toolkit for Organizations Responding to Mass Worksite Immigration Raids
If you have used this Film Screening Guide, let us know!
