Farmingville
- Country
- USA
- Year
- 2004
- Director
- Carlos Sandoval & Catherine Tambini
- Producer
- Carlos Sandoval & Catherine Tambini
- Finance
- John D & Catherine T MacArthur Foundation
Horace & Amy Hagedorn Fund of the Long Island Community Foundation
NY State Council for the Arts
Bishop McGann of Caring Fund of Catholic Health Service of Long Island
Soros Documentary Fund
Long Is - Length
- 87 minutes
- Website
- www.pbs.org/pov/pov2004/farmingville/
Synopsis
Farmingville is an 87 minute documentary by Carlos Sandoval and Catherine Tambini about the complex issue of illegal Mexican workers in a New York suburb. The film was inspired by the hate-based attempted murders of two Mexican men. Farmingville shows the concerns of local residents who are angry about the number of illegal workers waiting for work on their street corners. The film also presents the struggles of the Mexican immigrants, who are being targeted with violence while they desperately try to make a living to support their families.
Impact
Many foundations and individuals funded Farmingville – the John D & Catherine T MacArthur Foundation, the Horace and Amy Hagedorn Fund of the Long Island Community Foundation, the NY State Council for the Arts, the Bishop McGann of Caring Fund of Catholic Health Service of Long Island, the Soros Documentary Fund, the Long Island Community Foundation, Michael Hampton, the Mary Duke Biddle Foundation, Bruce Herzfelder, Laurie Kahn and Molly Friedrich.
The documentary was screened on PBS and won several awards. The film has a website on the PBS website (http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2004/farmingville/) that contains resources for educators and discussion boards where audience members register feedback. There is a page where the filmmakers respond directly to audience questions.
The outreach for the film is being conducted by Active Voice, a team of strategic communication specialists who utilise documentary films to bring about personal and institutional change in communities, workplaces, and campuses across the US. Active Voice sprung out the PBS documentary series POV. It was set up with support from the Ford Foundation and the MacArthur Foundation.
Active Voice designed the Farmingville Campaign (http://www.activevoice.net/farmingville.html) which aims to help communities begin or deepen discussions about immigration, racism, national identity and the democratic process. They have supported screenings across America, particularly in areas with large day labourer populations. They have also formed national partnerships with organisations including the Brookings Institution Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy, the Catholic Legal Immigration Network and the National Conference of State Legislatures.