A Berea College student is one of the subjects featured in “The Unafraid,” a documentary film that makes its New York premier on Thursday, June 21 during the closing night of the Human Rights Watch Film Fest (HRWFF).
“The Unafraid,” is a feature-length documentary produced by Presente Films that follows the personal lives of three Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) students in Georgia, a state that has banned them from attending their top state universities and disqualifies them from receiving in-state tuition at any other public college. Shot in an observational style over a period of four years, this film, by directors and co-producers Anayansi Prado and Heather Courtney, takes an intimate look at the lives of DACA students as they navigate activism, pursuing their right to education and fighting for the rights of their families and communities.
The directors were recognized recently with The Kathleen Bryan Edwards Human Rights Award at the 2018 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival for their work on “The Unafraid.”
The film begins following high school seniors Alejandro, Silvia and Aldo, who are eager to go to college and pursue their education. However, their home state of Georgia not only bans them from attending the top five public universities, but also deems them ineligible for in-state tuition at public colleges due to their immigration status as DACA recipients. In response, these three ambitious and dream-filled students divert their passions towards the fight for education in the undocumented community. Amid constant threat of losing their DACA status and being deported, these inspirational members of the generation of “undocumented, unapologetic and unafraid” young people are determined to overcome oppressive policies and mindsets.
The HRWFF provides a forum for cinema tackling important global issues. Each year it showcases an international selection of acclaimed films that bring human-rights struggles to life through movies that call for justice and social change.
Additional screenings of “The Unafraid” will take place at the Film Society of Lincoln Center.