HBO's New York Latino Film Festival 2019 – Long Gone By
Ana Alvarez is a single mother from Nicaragua living in Warsaw, Indiana with her teenage daughter, Izzy. When a routine check-in leads to a deportation order, life as Ana knows it ends. The timing could not be worse as Izzy has just been accepted to Indiana University, a dream that becomes a nightmare when she discovers that because of her immigration status she will not qualify for the needed scholarships or federal aid. Faced with an impossible reality of a lifetime away from her daughter, Ana decides to risk everything in a last chance effort to leave Izzy's tuition paid before her time runs out. An intimately unnerving portrait of a woman willing to sacrifice everything to give her daughter the chance at a life she never had.
Interview with Director Andrew Morgan and Actor Erica Muñoz
Watch Long Gone By on Prime Video and iTunes
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
A few years back I was doing some documentary storytelling, alongside Erica Muñoz, with immigrant families and we began to talk about telling a story set against the backdrop of this unthinkable situation. I had always wanted Erica to lead a film and when we began to discuss this story I knew she would do extraordinary work.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
I hope that the film we made brings viewers face to face with the human struggle facing immigrants in this country in a way that invites a more thoughtful, human-centred conversation moving forward.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
As human beings, it's really hard for us to emotionally connect to abstract ideas. We respond to people so for me no matter how large the backdrop, the story must take us face to face with a person in order to see the world through there eyes, those are the stories that change me.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
It was a really collaborative process on this one. A lot of conversations, listening to families who are in similar situations and just trying to make it as honest as we possibly could. It also continued to get more simple, more focused and quieter as time went on.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
The response has been extraordinary which is really overwhelming. When you have a team of dedicated, creative people pour so much into telling a story it means a lot to see people responding the way that they have.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
Some of the feedback has come from the children of immigrants or immigrant families which has been incredibly rewarding. A lot of the feedback though has been from people nowhere near these situations who have said some powerful things about how much spending time in Ana's shoes has challenged and softened their perspective around these issues.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
The story being told in this country about immigrant families is having a devastating effect on people’s lives. I want people to be aware of this film and use it as a way to broaden our moral imagination and think more creatively about human, family first solutions to this crisis stepping forward.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Right now we are looking for the best possible distribution partners.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
The film is made to start a conversation, it is intended to ask questions that it does not seek to answer. For me, great art is about holding up a mirror and allowing us to think about something we thought we understood in a whole new way. I hope this film is an invitation to remember our shared humanity first and always.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
For too long now immigration issues in this country have been seen as black and white. Right and wrong. Legal and illegal. The questions we explore in this film lead viewers to a place of seeing just how messy a situation we have created and the difficulty for people involved in making choices in truly impossible situations.
Would you like to add anything else?
I think that's it for now, thanks for the opportunity to share about this film!
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
We are developing a new film now, but it's a long way from anything we can talk about just yet. Excited to continue this work and create thoughtful stories that invite empathy and action.
Interview: August 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
Long Gone By
Ana Alvarez is a single mother from Nicaragua living in Warsaw, Indiana with her teenage daughter, Izzy. When a routine check-in leads to a deportation order, life as Ana knows it ends. The timing could not be worse as Izzy has just been accepted to Indiana University, a dream that becomes a nightmare when she discovers that because of her immigration status she will not qualify for the needed scholarships or federal aid. Faced with an impossible reality of a lifetime away from her daughter, Ana decides to risk everything in a last chance effort to leave Izzy's tuition paid before her time runs out. An intimately unnerving portrait of a woman willing to sacrifice everything to give her daughter the chance at a life she never had.
Length: 1:28:51
Director: Andrew Morgan
Producer: Emily Morgan
Writer: Andrew Morgan
About the writer, director and producer:
ANDREW MORGAN is an internationally recognized filmmaker focused on telling stories for a better tomorrow. His experience includes a broad range of work spanning narrative and documentary storytelling for multiple films and new media projects that have been filmed and released all over the world. The New York Times described his unique style as “gentle, humane investigations,” and Vogue Magazine wrote that it is “evidence that each of us can act as a catalyst for change within our own lives and work together towards a greater good.” He lives in LA with his wife Emily, their four children and a dog named Lady.
Key cast: Erica Muñoz, Izzy Hau'ula
Looking for: distributors, film festival directors, journalists
Instagram: @longgonebymovie
Website: www.longgonebymovie.com
Made in association with: Untold Films
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? HBO's New York Latino Film Festival Saturday August 17th