Two film makers come together in Southern Arizona, on the U.S. – Mexico border, for eight days to work on a very special seven-and-a-half minute documentary short film. Honing our skills and combining our diverse cultural backgrounds, we straddled the border to bring together a heartwarming view of the Kino Border Initiative, people helping people through their darkest moment.

In this a place that mainstream media has continually sensationalized and exploited, there are good people putting aside political agendas and offering true humanitarian help through multicultural camaraderie, offering a simple meal and spiritual support to people caught in the world winds of collateral damage in the border debacle. The KBI has also been instrumental helping deported migrants readjust and return to homes and villages in their own country and in protecting vulnerable deportees from the people smugglers (coyotes) from hustling them back across the border.

Karl W. Hoffman is internationally recognized for his extensive photographic work on the U.S. – Mexico border, his lectures and his newly released feature length film “Living on the Border.”

Christian Rodriguez is a talented young filmmaker with an extensive technical and artistic background. The son of a documented migrant mother, he was born Los Angles and raised in Northern California, in the heart of agricultural industry, this has given him a compassionate insight to the Hispanic community. Christian is currently working on his own feature length documentary “Citizen Me: The Forgotten Class.”

“There is a 30 year age difference between us, but a magical phenomenon happened through this friendship, both spiritually and technically. We are both bringing our work to a higher level,” said Hoffman. “With out a lot of words to sway opinions we wanted to create a different more simplistic view, we wanted put aside the politics to look into the eyes and hearts of just one of the many sides of the immigration issue. It’s a start.”

The Kino Border Initiative is an innovative and cooperative effort between six major religious organizations that strive to accompany migrants and communities affected by the consequences of migration. The KBI is strategically located in the twin cities of Ambos Nogales (southern AZ and northern Sonora), which is a major port of entry and deportation for migrants in the southwest.
ONE MINISTRY, THREE DIMENSIONS -Humanitarian Assistance: On the Mexico side of the border, the KBI offers immediate assistance and pastoral accompaniment to migrants who have been deported from the US. At the Centro para Atención a los Migrantes Deportados (CAMDEP), the KBI offers meals, basic medical assistance, and clothing to the recently deported. At the Casa Nazaret shelter, the KBI offers safe room and board to unaccompanied women and children who are otherwise extremely vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. 

-Education & Formation: In local parishes on each side of the border, the KBI offers workshops and leads discussions on local border reality in light of the Christian faith and Catholic social teaching. We have also curriculum appropriate for short-term immersion groups from parishes, high schools, and universities.

Kino Border Initiative
People helping people through their darkest moments.

For more information visit www.kinoborderinitiative.org or www.jrsua.org/kino

For various ways to support the Kino Border Initiative; Presentations, Food, clothing and clothing donations for the aid center or the women’s shelter, and volunteer opportunities, contact Fr. Sean Carroll, S.J. Executive Director at P.O. Box 159 Nogales, AZ 85628-059. Office 520-827- 2370 email kino@calprov.org

To help support The Kino Border Initiative send donations to:

Jesuit Refugee Service/USA
1016 16th St NM, Suite 500
Washington, DC 20036

Karl W Hoffman is a Documentary Film Producer, Freelance Photojournalist, and Multimedia Reporter for the Tucson Citizen.
kwhphoto@gmail.com
P.O. Box 759
Arivaca, Arizona 85701-0759
www.karlwhoffman.com
For information on photography exhibits and prints, lectures, interviews, photo usage, border tours and to order the documentary on DVD and view Living on the Border documentary trailer please visit: www.livingontheborder.com

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 2nd, 2010 at 5:25 pm and is filed under Border Issues. Tags for this post: Karl W Hoffman-Living on the Border- Kino Border Initiative- Border issues- Immigration- Deportees. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.