from cinemar.com/, the same producers of the William Rodriguez film, The Keymaster:The Passage, an upcoming feature-length documentary, explores the plight of the yoleros— immigrants from the Dominican Republic who travel illegally to Puerto Rico in precarious fishing boats called yolas. These small boats are often no match for the treacherous waters of the Mona Passage, the 80-mile stretch of sea that divides the two Caribbean islands. Although many have succumbed to the dangers of this journey, thousands of Dominicans continue to risk their lives for a better future in the United States. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), at least one out of ten yoleros perishes at sea.
The film documents, in cinema vérité style, the lives of Dominican immigrants, both before and after their “passage” to Puerto Rico—like Yanina, who left her four children behind in her town of Rio San Juan to join her unemployed husband in Puerto Rico only to be deported back by the Coast Guard; or the survivors of an ill-fated yola that got lost at sea for 10 days in the summer of 2004 and resulted in the deaths of 65 people due to lack of food; or Peter, who successfully arrived in Puerto Rico by yola seven years ago and has devoted his life to warning others of the dangers inherent in such trips.
Through their first-hand accounts, the film reveals an eye-opening portrait of a community adrift. It also provides unique insight into the socio-political circumstances that led to this immigration crisis, which has largely been ignored by the international press. At present, 5.7 million Dominicans (out of a population of roughly 9 million) live in poverty, subsisting on $1 dollar a day. In recent years, yola trips have increased at an alarming rate. The film asks: How far would you be willing to go for a chance at a better life? Here's a clip from the trailer
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment