*DALLAS – ILLEGAL, the award-winning short film produced by Stick N’ Poke Productions, is generating tough conversations about the current state of race relations, immigration, discrimination and the American judicial system while challenging its audience to reflect on their own personal unconscious biases.
The film’s premise revolves around an undocumented Mexican man who is on trial in a Texas courtroom, accused of theft. If he is found guilty, there is a chance he could be deported, leaving behind his wife and two small children. The entire 23-minute short film takes place in a jury room as six individuals, whose pathways would never cross under ordinary circumstances, deliberate the case with their various personal lenses relating to age, race, experiences and individual perceptions.
“Immigration, deportation, discrimination, unconscious bias, privilege and a broken judicial system. These are just a few of the relevant, necessary topics within our society that must be acknowledged, discussed and faced,” said ILLEGAL Producer Justin Kenyon. “In today’s political climate, there are too many people unaware. In order for us to ever evolve to a safe nation for all, we must listen to one another and take on the hard conversations.”
Kenyon assembled a diverse cast and crew to bring the project to life in Texas under the direction of Edgar Arreola and Giovannie Cruz. Arreola, who emigrated from Mexico in his early twenties, challenged himself to be as open to as many different points of view as possible in order to tell the story of ILLEGAL without any personal bias.
“As a former immigrant, I embraced the challenge of telling the story of ILLEGAL by exploring different perspectives,” said Arreola. “With this film, we are bringing awareness to the world on how we are influenced by the external factors of race, religion, social status, legal status and more, in making judgments that ultimately will affect someone’s life positively or negatively.”
Ultimately the film implores its audience to explore their own unconscious bias and spark an important and timely dialogue around race relations, immigration and the judicial system while asking the big question: in a nation so politically divided as the United States, can laws and compassion coexist within the judicial system?
“With this film, we are creating a medium for people to discuss, debate and allow for progression in reinventing what was once one of the greatest nations in the world,” Kenyon said.
The film aims to generate thoughtful discussion on the conversations people generally don’t want to have but need to have in order to create real change in a nation so divided on the topics of race, immigration, discrimination and the American judicial system. Individuals are encouraged to take the pledge to have a challenging conversation with someone who has a different background than their own. And because the team behind ILLEGAL understands how difficult it can be to start those conversations, their website www.illegalshortfilm.com contains multiple resources to help guide those conversations including resources and some prompts.
“I dare audiences to not jump to conclusions, but to watch the film and see if they can remain completely impartial,” Arreola said. “I expect many points of view, comments and controversy, and am genuinely excited that this film will reach many audiences and share a perspective they may not have considered before.”
ILLEGAL is already generating buzz in the film world after being recognized with its first prestigious award. Director Edgar Arreola and associate director Giovannie Cruz were awarded the Award of Merit from the Accolade Global Film Competition. The Accolade recognizes film, television, videography and new media professionals who demonstrate exceptional achievement in craft and creativity, and those who produce standout entertainment to contribute to profound social change.
About ILLEGAL
ILLEGAL is a social issue drama short film produced by Stick N’ Poke Productions. Filmed in Dallas, Texas, on Sony Digital 4K with an aspect ratio of 12:5 widescreen, the film has a running time of 23:46. Production was completed Sept. 5, 2019. The film, inspired by the real-life experiences of Andrew Trusevich, was adapted by Justin Kenyon and Natasha Paris and directed by Edgar Arreola and Giovannie Cruz. For information on ILLEGAL, visit www.illegalshortfilm.com. For information on Stick N’ Poke Productions, visit their website at https://www.sticknpokeproductions.com/ or Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
source:
Ann Littmann
TrizCom PR on behalf of ILLEGAL and Stick N’ Poke Productions
Email: [email protected]
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