IMMIGRATION NATION
Synopsis
In the groundbreaking six-part documentary series IMMIGRATION NATION, acclaimed filmmaking team Shaul Schwarz and Christina Clusiau offer an unprecedented look at the processes, pitfalls and pain of immigration in America. Shot over the course of three years, Schwarz and Clusiau capture the daily workings of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, activists, lawmakers, attorneys and a wide swath of undocumented immigrants, from desperate recent arrivals to longtime residents to deported U.S. military combat veterans.
With an unrelenting flow of migrant workers continuing across the U.S. border, the pressure on ICE to enforce the administration’s zero-tolerance policies puts immigrants in the crosshairs. But how do we fix a system that seems beyond repair? How do we apply common sense to something that’s evolved from one of humanitarian concern to an us-versus-them political flashpoint? Has the story of America—the one that inspired our own immigrant relatives to risk death for a better life—been rewritten so broadly that the “land of the free” is a luxury afforded now only to a few?
As ineffective deterrence and militarized tactics continue, IMMIGRATION NATION provides an urgent, unbiased portrait of a country in crisis; one that demands unflinching attention and action.
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The Filmmakers
Christina Clusiau Director and Executive Producer
Christina Clusiau is a documentary filmmaker and cinematographer based in Brooklyn, NY. She co-founded the production company Reel Peak Films with Shaul Schwarz, specializing in documentary films and series that prioritize cinematic quality and journalistic integrity. Christina co-directed the Emmy-winning documentary TROPHY, which premiered at Sundance in 2017. She also shot the Emmy-winning series, A YEAR IN SPACE, in partnership with Time’s Red Border Films, as well as the feature documentary AIDA'S SECRETS. Most recently Clusiau was an executive producer and cinematographer on the Netflix documentary series, UNNATURAL SELECTION.
Shaul Schwarz Director and Executive Producer
Shaul Schwarz is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, cinematographer and photojournalist based in Brooklyn, NY. His debut documentary, NARCO CULTURA, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2013. He is also a regular photographic contributor to Time magazine and National Geographic and has directed content for Netflix, Discovery Channel, History Channel and CNN. In 2016, he directed the Emmy-winning series, A YEAR IN SPACE, produced with Time’s Red Border Films, co-directed the documentary AIDA'S SECRETS, which premiered at Hot Docs in 2016, and co-directed the Emmy-winning documentary, TROPHY which premiered at Sundance in 2017. Shaul is the co-founder of Reel Peak Films with Christina Clusiau. Most recently he was an executive producer and cinematographer on the Netflix documentary series, UNNATURAL SELECTION.
Updates
IMMIGRATION NATION is now streaming on Netflix!
8/3/20
Impact Partners is proud to have supported the development of IMMIGRATION NATION, directed by Shaul Schwarz and Christina Clusiau. The series is now streaming on Netflix.
Reviews
“The most important TV show you'll see in 2020.”
-Time
“A must-see window into an American horror story.”
“A damning indictment of the labyrinthe systems that make ICE so powerful, and a wrenching examination of the human cost its policies have wrought.”
“Astonishing ... [IMMIGRATION NATION] offers unprecedented field access to ICE and builds a portrait of an immigration system in need of compassionate overhaul.”