New America/ New Americans October 14 - 24, 1996

The passing of the 1965 immigration act coincided with other important historical events: the Civil Rights movement, the Vietnam War, the ethnic studies explosion in universities, an upswing in interest in non-Western systems of art, culture and thought, and an exciting, creative period in American independent filmmaking. New America / New Americans reflects this tumultuous era, with independent films and videos focussing on waves of immigration, past and present; the way we see the new arrivals; and how they represent themselves and their contributions to American society and culture. more on program special events program notes and times New America / New Americans is presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center, the New York Association for New Americans, Inc., and UJA-Federation of New York. The program is sponsored by the Alan and Hope Winters Family Foundation, Mutual of America, and an anonymous donor. The series was curated by Richard Peña and L. Somi Roy. more on the program Our immigration program is an exhibition not only of the various styles and approaches of independent film and video, but also of what makes this most recent wave of immigration different from the preceding surge at the turn of the century. More recently, fewer people have immigrated from traditional sources in western Europe; now Latin America, Asia, and especially after 1989, eastern Europe are sending new Americans. The Vietnam War brought refugees from Vietnam and Cambodia to American shores. White- and blue-collar immigrants also came, from Asia, Latin America and Europe, seeking a better life in the United States. The coming of age of the children of earlier immigrants, coupled with a new awareness of cultural and ethnic identity in the U.S., resulted in more and more independent filmmakers exploring their forebears' past histories. The filmmakers in New America / New Americans have been drawn not only to the great drama involved in the pulling up of one's roots to travel to a strange and distant land, but also in immigrant nostalgia and aspirations, the struggles and the rewards of adjustment and the forging of new identities. Life by life, story by story, the social landscape of America has been changed forever. -- L. Somi Roy special events Making It in America: Looking at Immigrants' Lives, a symposium featuring distinguished immigrant filmmakers, writers, politicians and entrepreneurs, along with an expert in the immigration field, is scheduled for Wednesday, October 23, at 8 pm. The symposium is open to the public.