Abrazos: A journey from Minnesota to Guatemala
As he filmed a series documentaries focused on the issues of immigration, Luis Argueta noticed the consequences, especially for kids, of familial separation.
During one of his trips to the Midwest (Argueta also produced a documentary about the large-scale immigration raid in Postville, Iowa), Argueta met a woman named Lisa Kremer.
Lisa told him about Abuelos y Nietos Juntos, a project of family reunification between the sons and daughters of Guatemalan immigrants in Worthington, Minnesota, and their grandparents in San Marcos, Guatemala. Worthington is in southwest Minnesota, approximately 5.5 hours from the Quad Cities.
“I was inspired by the idea and decided to make a film about the trip of these kids and their families. My crew and I were able to document this emotional pilgrimage. By interviewing the children, parents and grandparents before, during, and after the trip we were able to capture the entire experience,” Luis said.
ABRAZOS will be shown this Sunday at St. Paul during the adult learning hour, 10:45-11:30 a.m., in the Luther Loft. A discussion about the film will be held the following Sunday, Nov. 15.
The purpose of ABRAZOS, creators said, is to explore how physical distance separations in families challenge self identity, family identity, and cultural identity. This film also invites a conversation about child migration across borders in the context of rights, family, and identity.
ABRAZOS also illustrates the context of a practical, on-the-ground example of one way that a community responded creatively within the limits of existing law to the challenges communities are facing with migration.
