On September 15th, IndiePix will release the film that uncovers the contoversial truths behind family detention in America with the documentary The Least of These, which precipitated a change in U.S. policy. To celebrate the release, Film Fetish is giving away three copies of the DVD release to readers.
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In order to be entered into the random drawing for your free copy of The Least of These, you must also:
- Reply to this post, and tell me the name of the best prison-related film you’ve ever watched.
I’ll be running this contest through the release date of September 15, 2009.
More about The Least of These
On August 6th, President Obama announced that immigration officials will immediately stop sending families to the T. Don Hutto Residential Center – a former prison which has been operating as a 510-bed family detention facility for immigration detainees. The decision clearly was the result of an American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit and the scathing media coverage, including the 2009 independent film The Least of These, which made public the sub-par conditions of the hutto center. The Least of These premiered at the SXSW Film Festival, and went on to earn official selection status at the Washington DC and Maryland Film Festivals. The film, which was also screened for members of Congress at the United States Capital, will debut on DVD from IndiePix on September 15th.
The Least of These explores one of the most controversial aspects of American immigration policy: family detention through a penetrating look at the T. Don Hutto Residential Center, a former medium-security prison in Texas that re-opened in 2006 as a prototype family detention center. Part of the Bush administration policy to end the “catch and release” of undocumented immigrants, the facility houses children and their parents from all over the world who are awaiting asylum hearings or deportation proceedings. As information about troubling conditions at the facility began to leak out, activist attorneys sought to investigate and address the issues. In telling the story of their quest, the film explores the role (and limits) of community and legal activism in bringing about change. The Least of These leads viewers to consider how core American rights and values – protection of children, presumption of innocence, upholding the family structure as the basic unit of civil society, and america as the refuge of last resort – should apply to immigrants, particularly children.
The Least of These was directed by Clark and Jesse Lyda. The DVD release contains bonus features, including exclusive clips featuring Fox news political commentator Bill O’Reilly and former Department of Homeland Security director Michael Chertoff.
