Seattle International Film Festival / Chicago Critics Film Festival 2019 - A Line Birds Cannot See
Separated from her mother by smugglers at the border, a determined 12-year-old sets out across a desert with only a plastic sack for protection from the cold, survives starvation on the streets of Ciudad Juarez, and escapes kidnappers to find her mother and a place where they can be safe again.
Interview with Director Amy Bench
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
For about a year prior to meeting EL, I had been wanting to tell an immigration story from a female perspective. I wanted to give voice to a single person, explore the ideas of trauma, loss, and rebuilding, and the emotional journey that she is on.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
To me, this film serves two very different and important audiences: those that are grappling with immigration as a humanitarian concern, and those that have undergone deep trauma to come to this country. For the first, the film gives an honest, intimate portrait of a young girl's experiences and trauma endured. She puts a personal, human perspective to the events unfolding at the border. Watching this film gives perspective to a very divisive issue. And for other immigrants that watch this film, it gives them the reassurance that they are not alone, that their stories matter.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
At its most macroscopic level, this film is about the journeys we all embark on in life. The quest can be for love, ambition, or survival. In our film, the journey is through the eyes of a child, vulnerable and unknowing of the traumas that can lie ahead.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
The original concept involved weaving several immigrants' stories together, linking them through treasured objects. Throughout the casting and interview process, it evolved into one story of a young girl's horrific journey across the US border.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
People have been very moved by the film. We received Special Jury Recognition for the film at SXSW, due to the power and timeliness of the film. At SXSW, several people expressed their thanks for telling such an honest story, that “everyone should see this film.” It means a lot because it means that what we did with the film- bringing the audience on an emotional journey with EL- is working. And if we can bring people along, we can change hearts and minds.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
It's clear to me that we need more of these stories in the world. I am working on turning this into a series, in order to tell the stories of other vulnerable immigrants and how they reached US soil, and what the journey means to them now that they are here.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I love the female-centric platform and wanted to contribute to it, to both broaden the film's audience, as well as foster future partnerships.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Buyers, distributors, film festival directors, and journalists! We'd love as many people to see and read about the film as possible.
We are looking for partners to help recommend potential characters for the series. We are prioritizing stories told from a female perspective, but are open to telling stories from all people, if women are part of the story.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I would love this film to challenge people's preconceptions centered around immigrants and immigration.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
What does it mean to be an immigrant in the highly polarized political environment we are in, and how can we welcome those in need?
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
We are currently casting people for the next film in the series: we are looking to tell female-centered immigration stories. If you have any leads, please be in touch!
Interview: May 2019
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
A Line Birds Cannot See
Separated from her mother by smugglers at the border, a determined 12-year-old sets out across a desert with only a plastic sack for protection from the cold, survives starvation on the streets of Ciudad Juarez, and escapes kidnappers to find her mother and a place where they can be safe again.
Length: 9:24
Director: Amy Bench
Producer: Carolyn Merriman
About the writer, director and producer:
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER'S BIO
AMY BENCH is a filmmaker and visual artist who is drawn to the immediacy of film and photography to tell stories of community and resilience. Trained as a cinematographer, her observational style highlights small details of the human experience that transcend formal explanation. Her camera work has screened at festivals including Berlin, SXSW, Sundance, The New York Film Festival, and at MOMA/PS1 and in 2016 she was named a “DP on the Rise” by Paste Magazine. Amy is a member of the multidisciplinary artist collective ICOSA, an artist-run gallery space that showcases a diverse range of contemporary art and programming.
PRODUCER'S BIO
CAROLYN MERRIMAN is the Executive Producer at the Future of StoryTelling (FoST) and a curator interested in the intersection of art, technology and storytelling. As a producer she works across media, including documentary films, animations, apps and other interactive experiences. She was an Associate Producer on The Unforeseen, a documentary Executive Produced by Terrence Malick and Robert Redford and directed by Laura Dunn.
Additional producers include JESSICA GOUDEAU and CONSTANCE DYKHUIZEN
Looking for: sales agents, film festival directors, journalists
Facebook: A Line Birds Cannot See
Twitter: @BirdsLine
Instagram: @alinebirdscannotsee
Website: www.alinebirdscannotsee.com
Funders: Grants and supporters
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Chicago Critics Film Festival/Chicago, IL- May 18; Seattle International Film Festival/Seattle, WA- deadCenter Film Festival, Oklahoma City, OK- June 6-9 Chicago Critics: May 18; Seattle: May 25; deadCenter: June 8 & 9; Oak Cliff Film Festival (Dallas): June 9.