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Greg Brosnan and Jen Szymaszek
In the Shadow of the Raid
Shot in Guatemala and the United States, May 2008-February 2009
Part self-funded with support from the Institute for Justice and Journalism Fund
Broadcast by PBS
This film explores the devastating economic consequences of a major US immigration raid on a meat-packing plant in Iowa.
Half the illegal workers arrested during the raid come from just two small, neighbouring villages in Guatemala and the film-makers show how the money they earned in America was the sole income for old and infirm relatives in these poor mountain communities.
We see how one deported worker faced losing his home if he could not repay the seven thousand dollars he'd borrowed to get to Iowa. With its eye-opening findings on this controversial raid, the film has become a part of the American debate on immigration policy.
The judges described the film as dramatic, beautifully shot and very moving. One said: "The film brings humanity to the words ‘illegal immigrant’".
Biography
Greg Brosnan and Jennifer Szymaszek are a multimedia production team based in Mexico City. They are freelance video producers for outlets including The New York Times, AFPTV and VJ Movement. Greg has worked as a print journalist for Reuters in New York, Guatemala and Mexico, and more recently he has written for publications including Business Week and The Houston Chronicle. Jen is also a freelance stills photographer, working mainly for The New York Times.
Read more about In the Shadow of the Raid on the production company Street Dog Media's website.
