From Here/From There (De Aquí/De Allá) A Special Screening with Mo Morris

In 2017, the Trump administration rescinded DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. The program had permitted eligible undocumented young adults to study and work legally, provided they had come to the United States under the age of 16. The canceling of DACA meant that some 800,000 of those it had protected — they are known as Dreamers —  could face deportation. 

An inspiring new documentary, focuses on Luis Cortes Romero, a charismatic attorney and DACA recipient, who decides to fight to save the program. He joins an A-team of lawyers, including Ted Olson, former Solicitor General of the United States, who challenge the Trump administration’s action all the way to the Supreme Court. Romero becomes the first undocumented immigrant to present a case to the nation’s highest court.

You can see this 65-minute documentary at Arts & Culture on Wednesday, July 10, at 7 p.m. Following the screening, Marlene “Mo” Morris, the award-winning director and producer, will discuss the making of the film and answer questions. (Note that this event is the second, not the first, Wednesday of the month.)

Tickets for this program are $5 for club members and $10 for non-members. Please register early so we can be sure to accommodate everyone comfortably. Wearing masks for this event is strongly encouraged.

“I hope this film highlights both the urgent need for compassionate immigration reform and the many invaluable ways Dreamers are contributing to society,” says Morris.

Before Romero could even walk, his parents brought him to America from Mexico without legal documentation. He grew up in Redwood City thinking of himself as American. However, when he started selling candy to finance his middle school trip to Europe, his mother told him he could not leave the country because he was undocumented.

Romero’s world splintered even further when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deported his father. Despite these setbacks, Romero managed to make his way to college, where Chicano studies helped him to embrace his Mexican heritage and, eventually, earn a law degree, and become an immigration attorney.

"DACA is a renewable promise by the government that, so long you play by the rules and don’t get into any trouble, allows you to stay here for two years at a time," Romero explains. "It's not citizenship or a legal permit of residency or green card, so we still can’t vote or hold office."

From Here/From There (De Aquí/De Allá) is Morris’s second feature-length film. Her first, , was broadcast nationally on PBS’s America ReFramed and won several festival awards. A NEW COLOR follows Boone — a fearless muralist, activist, and educator — as she uses her art to address poverty, racism, and inequality. 

Morris also has produced short-form content, most recently, , which highlights Dulce Garcia, a Dreamer who risked the life she leads in America to sue President Trump for rescinding DACA. The film won best short documentary at the San Diego Latino Film Festival in the Migrant Voices Challenge category.

“I want to help people to understand each other better,” Morris says of her filmmaking, adding that her approach has been shaped by her ten years as an immigration attorney and her extensive experience as a mediator and social justice organizer. 

Reserve your seat early to see this thought-provoking film and to learn more about the current status of DACA.

Host or Publisher Berkeley City Club