“Portrait of Artists as Latino
Immigrants” is a thirty two-minute long documentary
that features the stories and art of four Latinos who live
throughout California. These artists are in different stages of
their immigration process, through their unique stories we will
find a tale that is common to every immigrant; through their art,
we will be able to recognize different moments in the transition
from immigrant to American.
Einar and Jamex de la Torre, Maria Amparo Escandon, and Victor
Cartagena are the artists portrayed in “Portrait of
Artists as Latino Immigrants”, in their different
artistic disciplines, reflect the experience of Latino immigrants
in California, their hopes and visions.
Einar and Jamex de la Torre crossed many years ago, when they were
still children. Taking the best of each culture, they have crafted
their own identity. An identity that allows them to feel “at
home” on either side of the border and at the same time being
observers and critics of their native and adoptive cultures.
Maria Amparo Escandon emigrated to LA from Mexico City more than
ten years ago. She is a writer and screenwriter, her novels reflect
her experience and revisit her native culture from a
distance.
Victor Cartagena arrived in San Francisco as an exile from El
Salvador when he was a teenager. He wanted it to be temporary
escape, until the war in his country was over. The years passed by
and one day Victor realized that he belonged to San Francisco as
much as he did to El Salvador.
This is a film about Latino immigrants, first time citizens
and residents of the United States, that bring a powerful voice of
criticism, construction and change to America. A lot like the
European immigrants in the beginning of the 20th century, these
immigrants are reshaping the face of the
country.
