Search - The New Americans on DVD

A Transformative Documentary Series on a Broad Array of Immi

David Crumm | Canton, Michigan | 02/03/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Here's an absolutely transformative documentary.

Why "transformative"? Because immigration and cultural diversity are two enormously important issues right now and we need media like this documentary series that will transform our assumptions about immigrants.

Thanks to Facets Video, Gita Saedi's entire 411-minute production of "The New Americans" now is available now on DVD. It's well worth the investment, because Saedi spent a long time and an enormous number of miles exploring this broad spectrum of real-life stories involving immigrants.

As the main photo on the cover suggests, we learn about a poor Hispanic-American family struggling through the maze of American immigration hurdles. Their story is all the more poignant because they are trying to do all the right things in their move to America.

But there's so much more here!

We meet a prominent African family, reduced to refugee status because of their tribe's work on behalf of human rights, now trying to re-establish themselves in the U.S. The family quickly discovers problems at nearly every turn, even though Americans celebrate the kind of brave activism that wound up pushing this family toward our shores.

We also meet Dominican baseball players facing life-and-death challenges of their own. And, deep in the series we meet an Indian couple moving to the U.S. for professional work -- and discovering that American culture is quite different than what they expected.

The mother of a hopeful pro-baseball player, who lives in poverty in her own homeland, says it all: "Poor people's dreams are very deep things."

They are -- and so is this terrific series."

Beautiful

karilagan | Bellevue, NE United States | 07/06/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This was a beautiful, thought provoking miniseries that was well crafted. Its a story about hope, disappointment, poverty, and happiness...not merely a story about immigrants, but a story of humanity.I'm happy that I was able to find the production on DVD."