
Felipe has come to a crossroads. After 16 years in Brooklyn, working three low-paying jobs and collecting bottles on the street in his spare time and sending the bulk of his earnings home to his family in Mexico, he’s decided to return to his wife and the children he hasn’t seen in almost two decades. But when he informs his family of his homecoming, he discovers that they’ve squandered the money, are deeply in debt and don’t want him to return. They need him to stay in the US, continuing to earn.
Screening to be followed by panel with the film’s Directors and Writer, Lindsey Cordero (Director/ Producer); Armando Croda (Director/Producer); Josh Alexander (Writer/Producer), and special guest speaker, Andrew Lim, Director of Quantitative Research at the New American Economy. Moderated by Shamina de Gonzaga, Executive Director, WCPUN and Co-founder/facilitator, INDOCUMENTALES.
Andrew Lim is Director of Quantitative Research at the Partnership for a New American Economy (NAE), a bipartisan coalition of business and political leaders working to create smart, sensible immigration policies in cities, states, and nationally. He has more than 8 years of research experience in international migration, integration, and public policy in North America and Europe, through his work with the NYC Mayor’s Office of Policy and Strategic Planning, Susan Jackson Associates, and the Council on Foreign Relations. Andrew holds an MA in urban policy from the Institut d’Études Politiques de Paris–Sciences Po, and an MSc in regional and urban planning from the London School of Economics. He received his BA from Boston College in international relations and French.
Lindsey Cordero is a Mexican filmmaker based in Brooklyn. Cordero’s work focuses mainly on immigration, survival and identity of undocumented Mexicans living in New York. She is director of the documentary I’M LEAVING NOW (Ya Me Voy) which is world premiering at Hot Docs April, 2018. Cordero is producer of the feature film EN EL SEPTIMO DIA (2017) written and directed by Jim McKay, which had its international at the 2017 Locarno Film Festival and will be released in theaters June, 2018. She worked as additional editor and sound mixer on the documentary feature HAVANA MOTOR CLUB (2015) directed by Bent-Jorgen Perlmutt, which premiered at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival and was acquired by Samuel Goldwyn Films. She is co-director of the TV documentary FIRMES, MEXICANS IN THE BRONX (Nat Geo Latino, 2013) about a group of Mexican undocumented immigrants who left the gang life behind and formed a Lowrider car club in the Bronx, NY. Cordero received the 2015 Princess Grace Film Honorarium for her film I’M LEAVING NOW (Ya Me Voy) . She holds a Bachelor Degree in Anthropology and an MFA at from the Integrated Media Arts program at Hunter College of The City University of New York.
Armando Croda (Director/Producer/Editor) is originally from Mexico, he has been working in art and film in the US, Europe and Mexico for the past 15 years. He edited “Out of Many, One” (2018) for Netflix by John Hoffman and Nanfu Wang. He co-directed his documentary “I’m Leaving Now (Ya me voy)” at Hot Docs 2018. He edited the documentary “Jay Myself” (2018) on the iconic New York City photographer Jay Maisel. He edited the three channel documentary “Two Meetings and a Funeral“ (2017) by Naeem Mohaiemen. He edited the feature documentary “Samantha and her Amazing Acrocats” (2017) by Jacob Fiering. He was additional cinematographer and editor of the documentary “Havana Motor Club” (2015) by Bent-Jorgen Perlmutt, about Cuba’s top drag racers and their quest to hold the first official race since the revolution that premiered at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival. Co-director, cinematographer and editor of the tv documentary “Firmes, Mexicans in the Bronx” (2013) for Nat Geo Latino, about undocumented Immigrants who have left the gang life behind and formed a Lowrider car club on the East Coast. Armando also completed the feature film, “Victorio” (2008) as co-director and editor, which was awarded Opera Prima at the Guanajuato Film Festival, and screened in various festivals in Europe and Latin America, including Valencia, Huelva, St. Petersburg, Havana and selected for the Human Right competition in Bilbao film festival.
Josh Alexander (Director/Producer) is one of the founders of Group Effort Films. He most recently wrote Stephen Wilkes documentary JAY MYSELF about the legendary NYC photographer Jay Maisel and which premiered at DOC NYC in November, 2018. He co-Executive Produced UNITED SKATES, which won the Audience Award at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival and was acquired by HBO. The film was recently nominated for the IDA Awards. He also recently wrote and produced I’M LEAVING NOW/Ya Me Voy (Hot Docs, Doc NYC, Jury Special Mention @ Morelia and Jury Award @ DocsMX) which was acquired by The Cinema Guild for release in 2019. Previous credits: Josh wrote CNN Films THE REAGAN SHOW which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and was released in theatres in June, 2017 and broadcast on CNN. THE REAGAN SHOW was nominated for the 2017 Critics Choice Award for Best Political Documentary and the Cinema Eye Honors for Best Editing. He wrote and co-directed the documentary PRESCRIPTION THUGS which premiered at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival and was acquired by Samuel Goldwyn Films. He wrote and produced acclaimed photographer Gillian Laub’s debut documentary SOUTHERN RITES, which premiered on HBO in May 2015. Josh was nominated for The Humanitas Prize in 2016 for his writing on that film. He was a consulting producer on Michael Lessac’s multiple-award winning documentary A SNAKE GIVES BIRTH TO A SNAKE; and wrote and produced the award-winning, Sarah Jessica Parker executive-produced documentary PRETTY OLD, which was released in 2014. In the fiction world, Josh co-executive produced the Alan Bates film SINS OF A FATHER and he wrote, produced and starred in BACKSEAT, winner of the Audience Award at the Austin Film Festival and released by Truly Indie in 2008. He is currently writing on Cara Jone’s archival-driven film BLESSED CHILD about her childhood growing up in The Unification Church, more commonly known as “The Moonies.” Josh has written two screenplays with the noted novelist Beverly Coyle and has numerous other documentaries, fiction features and television projects in various stages of development.