EVENT
The Infiltrators: Discussion with filmmakers Cristina Ibarra and Alex Rivera and subject Marco Saavedra
Ongoing
On the occasion of the online premiere of their award-winning film, The Infiltrators, directors Alex Rivera and Cristina Ibarra will join Curator of Film Eric Hynes for a discussion about the making of the film, followed by a conversation with activists and film subjects Marco Saavedra and Viridiana Martínez led by guest curator Tiffany Joy Butler. Conversation topics will include the film’s formally innovative docu-fiction approach, the unethical system of for-profit detention centers, the work of National Immigrant Youth Alliance, as featured in the film and beyond, and current living conditions for immigrant communities during the Covid-19 crisis.
The Infiltrators is currently showing May 1 through 14, as part of MoMI’s View from Home new releases.
View the recorded conversation here.
While this event is free, we hope you will consider supporting the Museum with a donation. MoMI’s staff is working hard to fulfill its mission via remote programming. This comes with opportunities to experiment but also profound challenges. Your support is critical to ensure our work remains vital and visible to a broad public. Suggested donation: $5. Donate here.
About the speakers:
Marco Saavedra’s work with the National Immigrant Youth Alliance is depicted in The Infiltrators. In 2013, Saavedra with a group of Dreamers called “The Dream 9” crossed into Mexico in solidarity with those who have benefited from DACA. He is a revered Bronxite whose family restaurant, La Morada, has served as a space for community organizing since 2009. Marco Saavedra’s story has been featured in The New York Times, Democracy Now, This American Life, and The Nation.
Viridiana Martínez has been an immigrant organizer since 2009. Through the National Immigrant Youth Alliance, she was instrumental in efforts that led to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in 2012. Viridiana also infiltrated Broward Transitional Center to expose the injustices faced by immigrant detainees and fight for their freedom. In spite of limited funding and resources, she founded the first ever immigrant youth led organization in North Carolina. She has been organizing for years to stop countless deportations across the country. Viridiana believes that directly impacted people must be at the frontlines of any successful campaign. She is currently a DACA recipient and the director of Alerta Migratoria, a national deportation defense platform and hotline for refugees and immigrants with a focus on the South. Viridiana is also an interpreter, bridal stylist, and aspiring actor.