About this project

Dear Family, Friends, Colleagues, my Students, former Classmates, Schoolmates, and Supporters of my Films:

If you make a pledge and I do not meet my goal of $75,000.00 your pledge returns to you.  In fact, your credit card is only deducted if I meet my goal.

Please Pledge early and often!

Now about the film:

The Undocumented, is a documentary I am making which exposes the little known consequence of current United States immigration policy—the annual recovery of dead bodies and skeletal remains of those who attempt to cross into the United States through the Sonora desert.  The film documents border patrol agents who fight to prevent migrant deaths, medical investigators and the Mexican consulate who work to identify dead border crossers, and Mexican families who struggle to accept the loss of a family member.

Unlike other documentaries, my film does not engage in a passive dialogue. Those depicted in the film don’t merely talk about migrant deaths; they are immersed in it. They patrol the desert. They wheel body after body in and out of a refrigerated storage room.  They look for clues to an identity. They speak to distressed family members.  They relay sobering news of a loved ones death. 

Migrant deaths along the United States – Mexico border since 2001 exceed US troop deaths in Afghanistan over the same period of time. Yet the issue remains largely invisible, the topic muted or silent.  This silence is absolutely “an accomplice to injustice” for the more than 2000 men, women, and children who have died along Arizona’s border in the last ten years.

I have a long track record of producing social documentary films that address injustice and contribute to a national dialogue about the issues that define us and shape our American identity. The Undocumented continues this commitment.  Rather than advocate a solution to the problem of undocumented immigration, the film aims to facilitate dialogue by presenting the unique experiences of the men and women who confront migrant deaths regularly.

THE UNDOCUMENTED has received backing from The Independent Television Service, The Ford Foundation, The Fledgling Fund, The Sundance Documentary Fund, The New York Community Trust, and several smaller foundations.  But I still need help to reach completion. Your support will go to a project that once finished is guaranteed distribution.

Your will help me finish the film and allow me to get it seen—festivals, broadcast, schools, and most importantly community engagement and outreach screenings.  Specifically your support will enable me to finish the editing, subtitle the film, do the sound mix, color correct and score the film.   

With gratitude,

Marco

Below are images for some of the rewards:

Supporter/Ally/Fan - Pledge $50, $75, $100, $150

Simpatico --  Pledge $500 (Limited Reward, 4)*

Artisan -- Pledge $2,000 (Limited Reward, 4)*

* About the Artist Deborah McCullough...
“Since 2004, Deborah has been volunteering with Tucson Samaritans and No More Deaths.  Walking hundreds of miles of trails south of Tucson, close to the border, she has carried water, food and medical supplies in an effort to find travelers who were lost, sick, or in need of any kind of help.

 Experiences in the desert with the people she’s encountered have led her to develop a body of work that incorporates items she has found along the trails the migrants walk. She creates these works so others will see beyond the political jargon into the heart of the suffering that is occurring. She creates them to inspire others to ask.”

Humanitarian -- Pledge $7,500 (Limit 3)**

** Up to three people can share each pledge reward