THE NEW AMERICANS

THE NEW AMERICANS

    Price: $495.00

    Code: 2339

    Executive Produced by Steve James and Gordon Quinn
    2004, 411 minutes (2-Disc Set)
    Purchase: $495 Classroom Rental: $195

    A landmark seven-hour documentary series, The New Americans follows the lives of a diverse group of contemporary immigrants - from the Dominican Republic, Mexico, India, Nigeria and Palestine - to offer a kaleidoscopic picture of immigrant life in the U.S.

    Employing the talents of a remarkable group of directors, including the creators of Hoop Dreams, Who Killed Vincent Chin, and Vietnam, Long Time Coming, the series chronicles the travails and triumphs of these newcomers from before they leave their homelands through their first tumultuous years in America.

    We follow an Indian couple to Silicon Valley through the dot-com boom and bust; a Mexican meatpacker as he struggles to reunite his family in rural Kansas; two families of Nigerian refugees (including the sister of slain Ogoni activist, Ken Saro-Wiwa) escaping government persecution; two Los Angeles Dodgers prospects with big dreams of escaping the barrios of the Dominican Republic; and a Palestinian woman who marries an American citizen only to discover in the wake of September 11 that she cannot leave behind the pain of her homeland's conflict.

    Originally airing on PBS in 2004 as part of Independent Lens to extraordinary critical acclaim, The New Americans is now available for the first time in its entirety on DVD. Extras include additional scenes, character updates and a Spanish SAP track.

    Subjects & Collections



    Reviews

    “As each character invents a life against obstacles significantly unlike those faced by Europeans coming to America, viewers must drop their sentimental conceptions of immigration and submit to the new ideas and images that are so judiciously and artfully rendered here.” - The New York Times

    The New Americans has the richness and density of a Dickens novel.” - LA Times

    “Highly recommended. Brings the immigration experience to a remarkably personal and enthralling level. The filmmakers included a genius and purposeful tool in the DVD menu, enabling viewers to select stories by country. While the standard feature intertwines the stories of the would-be Americans, one may chose to view a continuous rendering of the story of the Dominican baseball players, for example. This is simply a phenomenal work in scope and execution.” – Educational Media Reviews Online

    “Documentarian Steve James and his team deliver a film that is at once epic and intimate, universal and specific. The triumph of The New Americans is that it reminds us of a truth too easily forgotten: Immigrants are all of us.” - Chicago Tribune

    "The New Americans is a cinematic masterpiece... It is a sensitive, compelling, irresistible collection of stories.” - Chicago Sun-times

    "In the post-9/11 era, when many immigrants are looked upon with distrust, The New Americans offers a fresh perspective… A powerful and deeply personal documentary.” - The Boston Globe

    "Truly a moving and intimate portrayal of migration." (Grade: A) - Entertainment Weekly

    "Always compelling and frequently heart-wrenching." - The Washington Post

    "The moments we’re privileged to share can be bitter or sweet, bittersweet or simply enlightening. The film exquisitely charts a rainbow of fates for its rainbow of immigrants.” – Newsday

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