Immigration & the Movies!

I have been a fan of the work of filmmaker Mira Nair for many years, dating back to Salaam Bombay, which she made 20 years ago – in 1988, through Mississippi Masala (1991), and the more recent Monsoon Wedding (2001). My work and other obligations prevent me from making it to see a movie in the theater any more, but I am eagerly awaiting the release of The Namesake on DVD, so that I can watch it at home! I very much enjoyed Jhumpa Lahiri’s novel, and have been excited since I learned that Mira Nair would be translating the story to film.

Movies are a great pleasure of mine and there have been many made on the topic of immigration. Some only brush the subject, like the uncle in the aforementioned Monsoon Wedding, who comes from the U.S. to attend the wedding that is at the center of the film. Others make the immigrant and his or her plight or tale, the main focus – as in The Terminal (2004) with Tom Hanks. Recognizing this a number of years ago, we began a list on MurthyDotCom of movies that deal with the subject of immigration. Check it out sometime!

Here is something from the Los Angeles Times : Crossing Over, a film that focuses on the gut-wrenching drama of people caught up in the nation’s immigration morass, begins filming Wednesday in Los Angeles, and judging by the script, it paints a searing portrait of immigration issues in L.A. in much the way Crash did with the city’s race relations. With an ensemble cast headlined by Harrison Ford, Sean Penn and Ray Liotta, the Weinstein Co. project is nearly devoid of politics and doesn’t only look at the hot-button border crossing issues. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 9, 2007.