March 23, 2004 2:00 pm
The New Americans, a PBS miniseries premiering March 2004 from award-winning Kartemquin Films and ITVS, follows four years in the lives of a diverse group of contemporary immigrants and refugees as they journey to start new lives in America. The detailed portraits -- woven together in the seven-hour miniseries -- present a kaleidoscopic picture of immigrant life and a personal view of the new America. We follow an Indian couple to Silicon Valley through the dot.com boom and bust; a Mexican meatpacker who struggles to reunite his family in rural Kansas; two families of Nigerian refugees escaping persecution, including the sister of slain activist, Ken Saro-Wiwa; two Los Angeles Dodgers prospects with big dreams of escaping the barrios of the Dominican Republic; and a Palestinian woman who marries into a new life in Chicago only to discover in the wake of September 11, she can not leave behind the pain of her homeland. Kartemquin has assembled a team of talented directors including the producers and director of Hoop Dreams, Who Killed Vincent Chin, and Vietnam, Long Time Coming. They tell startlingly intimate stories of the day-to-day travails and triumphs of these newcomers, from before they leave their homelands through their first tumultuous years in America.
Visit the The New Americans website.
To purchase The New Americans series on home video, visit Home Vision Entertainment online, or call 888-572-8918.
For workplaces, schools and community organizations that would like to use shorter stories from The New Americans to increase understanding of recent immigrants, Active Voice and Kartemquin Films offer three brief, themed video modules for a nominal fee. Each module includes a DVD or VHS cassette with two or three family stories that are each twenty minutes in length, plus a companion print guide that includes:
- Discussion questions and reaction quotes from users to start dialogues
- Workshop curriculum to keep discussion focused and productive
- Immigration statistics to provide national and local context
- Resource lists for further insight and partnership
For more information visit Active Voice.
To order The New Americans companion book published by The New Press, call 800-233-4830.
The New Americans soundtrack by Norman Arnold is also available for purchase: visit CD Baby.
The New Americans Series Guide and Activity Book is now downloadable for free. The guide contains thoughtful classroom and community activities prompted by scenes and quotes from the film, including ESL and professional development activities for educators and health care providers. Find out more at ITVS.
The New Americans website offers an online educational adventure for 7th-12th grade students. The site supplements the upcoming documentary mini-series, which explores the immigrant experience through the personal stories of immigrants to the United States. Visit here.
Learn more about the exciting national outreach and educational campaign and sign up for the monthly e-newsletter here.