Join us for the screening of La Americana and a post-Q&A session with the director.

La Americana is an intimate documentary following an undocumented immigrant's journey from Bolivia to New York City and back, as she struggles to save the life of her ailing daughter. Filmed across three countries in a captivating cinematic narrative, La Americana is Carmen's story, and the story of millions of illegal immigrants who make the difficult decision to leave their families behind to pursue the elusive American dream. La Americana shows how immigration policy affects families on both sides of the border, putting a human face on this timely and controversial issue. La Americana is being used as the centerpiece for a nationwide campaign to engage and inspire audiences to dialogue about immigrants' rights and immigration reform.

When nine-year-old Carla suffers a life-threatening accident, her mother, Carmen, must leave her behind and make the dangerous and illegal journey from Bolivia to the U.S., where she hopes to earn enough to save her daughter's life. Working in New York to support Carla's medical needs, Carmen struggles in vain to legalize her immigration status, and wrestles with the prospect of never seeing her daughter again. Then, after six years of separation, Congress proposes "amnesty" legislation that could allow Carmen and Carla to be reunited at last.

La Americana won seven awards at over 30 film festivals and received funding from the Fledgling Fund and NYSCA for its national audience engagement campaign for immigrant rights.

Producer's Bio:
Nicholas Bruckman is producer and director of La Americana, Nicholas' production credits include Bronx Princess (POV 2009) and "The New Recruits" (PBS 2010). He has directed short documentaries on topics ranging from the conflict in Kashmir to high-school revolutionaries in the U.S. Nicholas works as a producer for Ironbound Films, and directs corporate documentary projects around the world for Fortune 100 and nonprofit clients.