11th Annual Immigration Film Fest

Welcome to the 2024 Immigration Film Fest! The Immigration Film Fest is hosted by KAMA DC, a volunteer-run nonprofit dedicated to providing a platform for immigrants and refugees in the DMV to share their skills and stories. Now in the festival's 11th year, we are bringing you a hybrid film festival with virtual screenings for 29 films via Eventive and four in-person screenings in Washington, DC from October 17-20

The screenings will be hosted at a variety of venues in downtown DC and each screening feature Q&A with film directors or other expert speakers.Welcome to the 2024 Immigration Film Fest, now organized by KAMA DC! This October we are bringing you a hybrid film festival with virtual screenings via Eventive.

Schedule:

Self-Expression: Ultimate Citizens with Los Sandy's + Little Sahara

For our keynote program of the festival, witness three documentary films exploring children's self-expression at the MLK Jr. Memorial Library. The visually-stunning short film Los Sandy's tells the story of a young group of siblings finding success in their musical talent. Then, prepare to laugh and cry during the short film, Little Sahara, which, through their own creativity, tells the story of Sahrawi refugee children. Our final film, Ultimate Citizens, follows an immigrant teacher and coach of an Ultimate Frisbee team devoted to the immigrant children in his school. A filmmaker Q&A with the director of Los Sandy's, Jaime Puerta, will follow the films!

Jaime Puerta is a director and producer with almost ten years of experience creating documentaries about humanitarian efforts and natural disasters. He is the head of production at Tzu Chi USA, overseeing over 150 documentary projects each year, from the initial concept to the final delivery. Currently, he is presenting "Los Sandy's," a poignant short documentary highlighting the resilience of a Mexican immigrant family. Additionally, Jaime is the founder of the production company A FILMS. His portfolio includes includes works with brands such as Vogue, Carolina Herrera, Marriott, Desigual, Sorel, and TAG-Heuer, including the award-winning commercial “TAG-morphosis.” He has directed music videos for Husbandry (USA), Jean-Paul (Spain), and Nung Nung (Taiwan).

Los Sandy's

Julia, a Mexican immigrant and widow with seven children, must leave her family home of 18 years. Despite the uncertainty ahead, her children offer hope with their unique musical talent.

Little Sahara

Those who do not know the Sahara think there is only sand in the desert. But in the desert there are children who play and draw and make movies, and who would like to not have to think about the war. In the desert there's a European colony, an occupied country called Western Sahara, where there are thousands of Sahrawi refugees living a hard life in exile. "Little Sahara" tells their story, the story of a supportive, resilient people who try to thrive and grow in the Hamada, where everything has a hard time growing.

Ultimate Citizens

Filmed at Seattle’s Hazel Wolf K-8 school, ULTIMATE CITIZENS introduces Jamshid Khajavi, an Iranian American immigrant, school counselor, chicken rescuer, and Ultimate Frisbee coach tirelessly devoted to the city’s immigrant kids. Jamshid helps his students find belonging on their way to compete in the world’s largest Frisbee tournament.

Location: MLK Jr. Memorial Library, The Auditorium, 5th Floor

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