Congress has a mandate to fix a broken immigration system, but how much about it do any of us really know? Why We Rise is a short documentary that portrays the real-life experiences of three brave undocumented immigrant youth growing up in New York City. Their everyday struggles and strength provide an on-the-ground perspective of this important issue.

 

I co-directed, co-produced, wrote, shot, and edited this film with the support of the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) and Revolutionizing Asian American Immigrant Stories on the East Coast (RAISE).

 

This short documentary is the winner of the Loni Ding Award for Social Issue Documentary at the 2014 CAAMFest. It was also an official selection at numerous film festivals including the PBS.org Online Film Festival, San Diego Asian Film Festival, Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival, Seattle Asian American Film Festival, Boston Asian American Film Festival, and Houston Asian Pacific American Film Festival.