movie logo

“9500 Liberty” showing on
Monday, August 2 at 6pm
YWCA Tucson
525 North Bonita Avenue (south of St. Mary’s Road, west of I-10)

FREE and open to the public.
in English with Spanish subtitles
Director/Producer Eric Byler will answer questions following the screening (bio below)

Information from the film’s website:
“Prince William County, Virginia becomes ground zero in America’s explosive battle over immigration policy when elected officials adopt a law requiring police officers to question anyone they have “probable cause” to suspect is an undocumented immigrant.”

“9500 Liberty reveals the startling vulnerability of a local government, targeted by national anti-immigration networks using the Internet to frighten and intimidate lawmakers and citizens. Alarmed by a climate of fear and racial division, residents form a resistance using YouTube videos and virtual townhalls, setting up a real-life showdown in the seat of county government.”

“The devastating social and economic impact of the “Immigration Resolution” is felt in the lives of real people in homes and in local businesses. But the ferocious fight to adopt and then reverse this policy unfolds inside government chambers, on the streets, and on the Internet. 9500 Liberty provides a front row seat to all three battlegrounds.” (from www.9500liberty.com)

Eric Byler

More from the website: “Eric Byler was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for his debut feature “Charlotte Sometimes” (2002), hailed by film critic Roger Ebert as a breakthrough for Asian American filmmakers. His films have won 15 international film festival awards, and paved the way for a new generation of Asian American filmmakers.” Byler is Chinese-American.

“Eric’s second feature “Americanese” (2006) was acquired by IFC Films and won both the Audience Award and the Special Jury Award at the South by Southwest Film Festival. His third feature “TRE” (2007) won the Special Jury Award at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival before being released theatrically by Cinema Libre Studio in 2008. ”

“Eric was born in Los Angeles, California and grew up in Northern Virginia and in Hawai’i. He majored in film studies at Wesleyan University in Connecticut where his senior thesis film “Kenji’s Faith” (1994) went on to become a finalist for the Student Academy Awards, screen at the Sundance Film Festival, and win six film festival awards. Other “Charlotte Sometimes” accolades include a Best Supporting Actress nomination for Jacqueline Kim at the 2003 Independent Spirit Awards, the Audience Award at South by Southwest, and the Special Jury Award at the Florida Film Festival.”

Eric is also a founding member of The Coffee Party USA, which states that their Coffee Party Movement gives “voice to Americans who want to see cooperation in government. We recognize that the federal government is not the enemy of the people, but the expression of our collective will, and that we must participate in the democratic process in order to address the challenges that we face as Americans.”

The other Director/Producer is Korean-American Annabel Park, whose bio is also online. She is the co-founder of The Coffee Party USA.

If interested in attending, please send RSVP to: rsvp@ywcatucson.org.

UPDATE: Friday, August 20 at 7pm:
Liberty Arizona Screening Series presents
a FREE screening of “9500 Liberty” at The Screening Room
127 East Congress Street
(520) 882-0204
English with Spanish subtitles.
Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva will introduce the film and the filmmakers will be in attendance.