Post-Production for documentary East of Town
Donation protected
This fundraiser is for the post-production of the documentary, East of Town.
Logline
The film follows for five years the work and life of an immigration attorney in the Deep South, where he fights for justice in the shadow of one of the largest for-profit immigration prisons in the United States.
Synopsis
The film takes us into the sleepy Stewart County in rural South West Georgia. Before the Civil War, the county was the biggest cotton producer in the State - today it is one of the economically poorest in the nation. Tucked into the woods on the hillside lies a detention facility holding almost 2,000 men and women. It is one of the most notorious and isolated detention centers in the United States whose immigration court has a deportation rate of 92%. Due process is hard to find in isolated areas across the United States; within a radius of 160 miles there are no private immigration attorneys - but one. Against the grain and at the age of 50, Marty Rosenbluth got his law degree and in 2017 he moved to Lumpkin, Georgia where his life was changed forever. The film follows Marty as he navigates the inhumane machinery of the immigration detention system. The tension, the anticipation and the hope to win a case, as well as the randomness and the agonizing wait are central elements of the narrative dynamic. Together with Alondra, his legal assistant, we experience a kaleidoscope of their work in all its range. Tragic, victorious, bizarre and ambivalent moments. But we connect with Marty also in reflective and funny situations while figuring out life in the countryside.
In parallel to Marty’s life, we follow different moments in the lives of his clients. A family waiting for the court hearing. A family reunited after the release from the prison. A family visiting a loved one. A family losing a loved one. These human interactions are a collection of vignettes, describing a moment in time.
The Chattahoochee River cuts through Stewart and rolls its way down to Florida and as the river sways back and forth to its destination, making turns left and right full of rushing sounds, the film looks at the South beyond its physical setting, but as a subject. Not everything is exactly what it looks at a first glance, not everything is pure good, or pure evil. Often they are clearly more one than the other, sometimes they just are. A calm bittersweet atmosphere will meet moments of levity coming from the universal trials and tribulations of living in a small town. The county is the canvas of the film and the characters’ hopes and dreams are sketched out on the hot, humid southern Georgia landscape.
What are the funds needed for:
After five years in the making we are almost at the finishing line. What we need now is some financial support to finalize the film. This means in particular:
- Sound design
- Color correction
- Subtitling
This documentary is a Women Make Movies Production Assistance Program Project and has been selected to the Docs Barcelona 2020 public pitch as well as the Lisbon Docs 2019 International Financing and Co-Production Forum for Documentaries.
About the filmmakers
Co-Director / Sound: Kathrin Seward has worked on various German and international documentaries, web- and TV series commissioned by ARD, ZDF, Arte, National Geographic, Discovery, 3sat, and Swiss Public Broadcaster among others as producer and production manager. Kathrin is a member of Women in Film and Television Germany e.V. and was selected with East of Town into the production assistance program by Women Make Movies in New York. East of Town is her first feature film.
Co-Director / Camera: Ole Elfenkaemper is director and cinematographer. He started his career as a photojournalist. Since 2014, he has worked on various documentary productions for German and international broadcasters such as National Geographic, Arte, YouTube Originals, ZDF among others. He was nominated twice for the prestigious German Grimme Prize as a journalist and producer. East of Town is his first feature film.
Helpful Links and Further Information:
Read the article by Christie Thompson from the Marshall Project that started the idea of making this film:
https://www.themarshallproject.org/2016/12/12/america-s-toughest-immigration-court
Learn more about the NGO Paz Amigos, which was founded after we connected some locals:
https://www.pazamigos.org/
Learn more about the NGO, that offers hospitality to families who visit their loved ones at the Stewart Detention Center
https://www.elrefugiostewart.org/
If you have a loved one locked up in Stewart and need legal counsel you can contact Polanco Law in Durham, NC:
https://www.polancolawpc.com/
or the Southeast Immigrant Freedom Initiative from SPLC
https://www.splcenter.org/our-issues/immigrant-justice/southeast-immigrant-freedom-initiative-en
Logline
The film follows for five years the work and life of an immigration attorney in the Deep South, where he fights for justice in the shadow of one of the largest for-profit immigration prisons in the United States.
Synopsis
The film takes us into the sleepy Stewart County in rural South West Georgia. Before the Civil War, the county was the biggest cotton producer in the State - today it is one of the economically poorest in the nation. Tucked into the woods on the hillside lies a detention facility holding almost 2,000 men and women. It is one of the most notorious and isolated detention centers in the United States whose immigration court has a deportation rate of 92%. Due process is hard to find in isolated areas across the United States; within a radius of 160 miles there are no private immigration attorneys - but one. Against the grain and at the age of 50, Marty Rosenbluth got his law degree and in 2017 he moved to Lumpkin, Georgia where his life was changed forever. The film follows Marty as he navigates the inhumane machinery of the immigration detention system. The tension, the anticipation and the hope to win a case, as well as the randomness and the agonizing wait are central elements of the narrative dynamic. Together with Alondra, his legal assistant, we experience a kaleidoscope of their work in all its range. Tragic, victorious, bizarre and ambivalent moments. But we connect with Marty also in reflective and funny situations while figuring out life in the countryside.
In parallel to Marty’s life, we follow different moments in the lives of his clients. A family waiting for the court hearing. A family reunited after the release from the prison. A family visiting a loved one. A family losing a loved one. These human interactions are a collection of vignettes, describing a moment in time.
The Chattahoochee River cuts through Stewart and rolls its way down to Florida and as the river sways back and forth to its destination, making turns left and right full of rushing sounds, the film looks at the South beyond its physical setting, but as a subject. Not everything is exactly what it looks at a first glance, not everything is pure good, or pure evil. Often they are clearly more one than the other, sometimes they just are. A calm bittersweet atmosphere will meet moments of levity coming from the universal trials and tribulations of living in a small town. The county is the canvas of the film and the characters’ hopes and dreams are sketched out on the hot, humid southern Georgia landscape.
What are the funds needed for:
After five years in the making we are almost at the finishing line. What we need now is some financial support to finalize the film. This means in particular:
- Sound design
- Color correction
- Subtitling
This documentary is a Women Make Movies Production Assistance Program Project and has been selected to the Docs Barcelona 2020 public pitch as well as the Lisbon Docs 2019 International Financing and Co-Production Forum for Documentaries.
About the filmmakers
Co-Director / Sound: Kathrin Seward has worked on various German and international documentaries, web- and TV series commissioned by ARD, ZDF, Arte, National Geographic, Discovery, 3sat, and Swiss Public Broadcaster among others as producer and production manager. Kathrin is a member of Women in Film and Television Germany e.V. and was selected with East of Town into the production assistance program by Women Make Movies in New York. East of Town is her first feature film.
Co-Director / Camera: Ole Elfenkaemper is director and cinematographer. He started his career as a photojournalist. Since 2014, he has worked on various documentary productions for German and international broadcasters such as National Geographic, Arte, YouTube Originals, ZDF among others. He was nominated twice for the prestigious German Grimme Prize as a journalist and producer. East of Town is his first feature film.
Helpful Links and Further Information:
Read the article by Christie Thompson from the Marshall Project that started the idea of making this film:
https://www.themarshallproject.org/2016/12/12/america-s-toughest-immigration-court
Learn more about the NGO Paz Amigos, which was founded after we connected some locals:
https://www.pazamigos.org/
Learn more about the NGO, that offers hospitality to families who visit their loved ones at the Stewart Detention Center
https://www.elrefugiostewart.org/
If you have a loved one locked up in Stewart and need legal counsel you can contact Polanco Law in Durham, NC:
https://www.polancolawpc.com/
or the Southeast Immigrant Freedom Initiative from SPLC
https://www.splcenter.org/our-issues/immigrant-justice/southeast-immigrant-freedom-initiative-en
Fundraising team (3)
Rita Ellis
Organizer
Columbus, GA
Ole Elfenkaemper
Team member
Kathrin Seward
Team member
