Migration and Asylum documentary screening and conversation

By: Katie Dusza, Contributor 

On April 5, there was a Migration and Asylum Community forum held in Montante Cultural Center. 

This event included a showing of a documentary about the experience of refugees in America, as well as a panel discussion about the film and the subject relating to it. 

The documentary titled “Running to Stand Still: Migrants Search for Hope in the Promised Land” is a 30-minute film exploring the humanitarian crisis at the Mexico-United States border.

 The film features people from the southern border, putting faces to this heavily politicized crisis. It explores how much hatred and dehumanization this issue is faced with, especially in a country built on immigration. 

The showing of the documentary was followed by a panel of five people who took questions about the film as well as other issues regarding migration and asylum. This panel included the filmmakers and local activist organizations. 

The panelists included Jennifer Connor, executive director and co-founder of Justice for Migrant Families, Crystal Massey, volunteer engagement manager for the Immigration Justice Campaign, Heidi Ostertag, executive producer of “Running to Stand Still” and Dr. Sriram, director of the political science program at Canisius. Matthew Tice, director of asylum seeker programs at Jericho Road Community Health Center/VIVE was also in attendance.