GUEST BLOG POST, NIC SANTANA, Who is Elvis? Meet Elvis. Elvis lives in the shadows of America. This is his story.
I have taken it upon myself to produce and direct a short narrative film dealing with the controversial and highly unpopular topic of immigration. I say unpopular because I’ve been following the GOP debate. And, well, we’ve all heard or read Rep. Michelle Bachman say she would see to it that every undocumented immigrant in the country be deported if elected president.
Elvis is the story of Dominican teen, Elvis Delgado. After living in New York City for thirteen years, his life is turned upside down when his father is picked up by the police for a minor violation and gets sent to an immigration detention center. Elvis wants to see his father but learns that he, too, is undocumented. He, too, runs the risk of deportation.
People ask me where I got the inspiration to write the story of a fifteen-year-old unauthorized New Yorker. The politically correct response is that an article in the New York Times a few months back piqued my interest. Truth is, it’s a story close to home.
Ten years ago, my cousin was a high school senior. I knew he was born in Mexico and he knew it as well. What we didn’t know was that he was an unauthorized U.S. citizen. It was a topic my family didn’t discuss. I remember asking him about his plans after high school and with great enthusiasm he told me he wanted to be an architect. His dreams quickly faded as he discovered it was going to be impossible to apply for financial aid. He couldn’t afford tuition. He gave up.
When I recently started writing this short screenplay, I tried to put myself in my cousin’s shoes. What was it like for him when he felt all opportunities were closed? Just like Elvis, my cousin had to adapt to living under the radar. At a time when adolescent passage into adulthood is marked by achieving certain milestones, the Elvises of this country have to adapt to living in the shadows.
In my story, Elvis discovers his citizenship status as his family is being torn apart. Does he risk everything to see his father one last time? I won’t spoil the ending, you’ll just have to wait and see. I will tell you what became of my cousin. He received his citizenship and just turned 28 years old. What future awaits him now is uncertain.
As for the future of this short narrative film, it all depends whether I can meet my fundraising goal. I am raising money to produce the short film and need your support. This story deserves to be told for all those children and their families who make a life in the shadows of this country. Please share this with all your friends and consider making a pledge if you can.
Donate and learn more about the project here. NIC SANTANA is a filmmaker and lives in New York. He is a Fulbright Scholar to Spain. Email him at nick.santana@gmail.com
KJ