It’s only one state away, so there should be a lot of local interest for “The State of Arizona.” And based on the film’s subject matter, there should be a lot of interest everywhere else, too.
The documentary is the latest offering in the ongoing Durango Community Cinema series of films from PBS/Independent Lens. “The State of Arizona” captures the explosive emotions and complex realities behind Arizona’s headline-grabbing struggle with illegal immigration. Following Arizona’s controversial Senate Bill 1070, dubbed the “show me your papers” law, the film tells the stories of Arizonans on all sides of the issue from ground zero of the nation’s immigration debate.
Supporters call it a common-sense law-enforcement tool while opponents see it as inevitably leading to racial profiling. The law’s stated intent is to make life so miserable for people that they will self-deport, challenging the civic sensibilities of many. We see neighborhoods empty, businesses shuttered and immigrants flee the state. Those who choose to stay organize boycotts, organize demonstrations and prepare families for the possibility of separation by sudden deportation. In contrast, the film also travels deep into the spirit of the tea party movement for whom illegal immigration is a flashpoint.
“The State of Arizona” interweaves the volatile themes of immigration and race with a variety of characters and their responses to the law. The film’s three acts trace the law from the governor’s signing the bill in 2010 to the Supreme Court’s June 2012 pronouncement on its constitutionality. Through the personal stories of individuals impacting and impacted by immigration policies, the film explores the human consequences of the policy.
The one-hour screening will be followed by a community discussion led by Lindsay Marshall, an attorney with Colorado Legal Services. Before moving to Durango, Marshall was the director of the Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project, a legal services organization for people in deportation proceedings in Arizona.
ted@durangoherald.com
If you go
Durango Community Cinema will present three free screenings of “The State of Arizona:”
5:30 p.m. Wednesday at Durango Discovery Museum’s Powerhouse Theater, 1333 Camino del Rio, followed by community discussion.
Tuesday, Nov. 26 (time TBA) at Ignacio Community Library.
Noon Wednesday, Nov. 27 at Durango Public Library.
For more information, email Suzanne.Tyrpak@gmail.com.
