Bread for the World Video Wins Top Prize at Cause-Driven Film Festival
“Stay,” Bread for the World’s documentary film on migration and poverty in rural Mexico, won “Best Short Film” at the “Lights. Camera. Help.” Film Festival last month.
“It is an honor to be recognized by the “Lights. Camera. Help.” Film Festival for this work,” said Rev. David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World. “We hope this award will help increase awareness of some of the lesser-known motivations and impacts of the immigration issue.”
Sixty percent of all unauthorized immigration to the United States comes across the Mexican border. The number of unauthorized immigrants tripled from 3.5 million people in 1990 to more than 11 million in 2010. “Stay” focuses on the lives of Marvin Garcia Salas, 52, and Santiago Cruz, 48, men who immigrated, separately, to the United States and to Canada. The film explores the reasons that immigrants leave their home countries. As documented in the film, they often do so in an attempt to better support their families by escaping impoverished communities that offer minimal work.
“The immigration debate in the United States often overlooks poverty and inequality in Latin America—two of the principal causes of unauthorized migration to the United States,” added Beckmann. “Mexico, particularly in rural areas, presents a unique environment to implement U.S. foreign assistance projects that promote development and help reduce migration pressures.”
Salas and Cruz were able to return home to Mexico to support themselves and their families with the help of organizations that invest time and resources in rural areas of Mexico.
“Lights. Camera. Help.” aims to encourage nonprofit and cause-driven organizations to tell their stories through film and video. Pohl has received recognition for a number of videos and photographs that highlight the plight of hungry and poor people around the world.
Source: Bread for the World
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