Press Kit & Credits

In the Shadows Undocumented Immigration in America

To Risk it all TRT:  48:18 This Mexican border documentary was shot on location in: NY, Washington, DC, CA, WI, TX, AZ, NM, and Nohbec, MX. The subject matter of this film secures the attention of the viewer right away.  We must view more than just facts and data.  Here we take a deep look into the personal. This film focuses on a tightly knit family from Mexico, who work in New York on a dairy farm with hopes for a better future. This documentary puts a human face on the immigration issue. It gives incites into the undocumented living in America.  The fact that 12 million or more migrants are here needs a closer look.  m

Dan Glynn Producer/Director

Glynn is the Founder, and Executive Producer at Broadbandaid Films, a Boulder, Colorado company. In the Shadows, a Mexican border documentary is his directing debut finished after ten years of work. While making In the Shadows, Dan lived on a dairy farm in Western New York. He also made trips to Mexico and American border towns where he spoke with people on all sides of the immigration issue. In the Shadows is a balanced personal look at migration presented from the viewpoint of Jairo.  He is a hard-working Mexican who moves to the United States to support his family back home.

Glynn was born in The Bronx, New York. He went to Cornell University where he received a B.S. in Economics 1987. After college, he moved to Boulder, CO. and started a firm that developed software for radio stations.  In 1994, he traveled across the country cycling and camping by the side of the road, moving back to New York City in 1994. He later founded a thriving Wall Street IT consulting firm there. Dan now resides in Boulder, CO.

Luis Ortiz Guillen – Editor

Luis Ortiz Guillen edited In the Shadows. Luis is a New York-based film professional with a wide-ranging background editing feature documentary films. Films as Lead Editor:

  • Trouble the Water   Directed by Tia Lessin. This film was named Sundance Best Documentary 2008
  • FLOW: For Love of Water   Directed by Irena Salina. This film entered the Sundance Official Documentary Competition 2008
  • Sons of Sakhnin United    Directed by Christopher Browne. This film was an Official Selection of the Tribeca Film Festival 2007
  • Unstrung   Directed by Rob Klug. This feature documentary was an Official Selection of the Tribeca Film Festival 2007

Films as Assistant Editor:

  • Fahrenheit 9/11   Directed by Michael Moore.
  • Maria Full of Grace   Directed by Josh Marston. (a border crossing film)
  • Bowling for Columbine  Directed by Michael Moore

In addition, Luis has done wide-ranging work for many network TV series, DVD releases, and Cable networks. Luis Ortiz Guillen resides in Brooklyn, NY

Fernada Rossi: Story Consultant

Whether in a personal session, a workshop or through her writing, Fernanda Rossi supports and guides film-makers.  With proven methods in the creating and improved of rough cuts, fund-raising trailers, synopses, treatments, scripts and pitches. She has doctored over 300 documentaries, fiction scripts and work samples, including two Academy Award ® nominees. Fernanda has been invited to give talks and seminars for major world conferences.  As well as groups such as Hot Docs, Sheffield Doc/Fest, and Silver DOCS.  Her columns and articles have been published in trades like the Independent, Documentary Magazine, and many others.  She is also the author of the book that, according to industry professionals is the bible on demo production. Trailer Mechanics:  A Guide to Making your Documentary Fund-raising Demo. Fernanda resides in NY, NY

Manuel Molina – Original Music

Manuel Molina wrote and performed the original music for In the Shadows.

Manuel Molina was born in Peru. He attended the Conservatory of Peru in Lima where he studied composition and classical guitar. At the age of 17, he was the youngest person to conduct the Peruvian National Symphony.

Manuel Molina has led many musical groups around the world for over 25 years providing professional Latin entertainment. His music company, Hot Molina, performs for the United States Department of Defense and various US embassies overseas.

He enjoys a thriving international career as a solo guitarist. His many recordings include: Una Noche De Amour, Tranquilo and an album of Christmas favorites.

Some highlights of his varied professional career include:

  • A 1990 performance for Shimon Peres, the former President of Israel, in
    Denver, CO.
  • Participated in the 1999 Noche De Gala at the Center for Performing Arts –
    James Olmos Latin Film Festival.
  • Performed with Gato Barbieri, the Latin jazz artist.
  • A 1980 birthday party for the actor Raymond Burr in Denver.
  • Many appearances at the Aspen Jazz Festival and the Cherry Creek Arts
    Festival.

Manuel Molina lives in Denver, Colorado

In the Shadows. a Mexican border documentary – Short synopsis: Similar to the “Grapes of Wrath” this film follows a dozen Mexicans from one small village flee to the U.S..  During this Mexican border documentary, we see them and their risky border crossing stories.  Also, we watch Jario who wants to works his way up  the ladder in the U.S. In particular, to better his family’s station in life.  When in fact, his family has a black sheep… is this going to be a barrier to success?  This film studies the migration issue and its politics.  Director Glynn studied Spanish to help finish the documentary. More on the making of here. The DVD version is Subtitled in English and Spanish.

In the Shadows, a Mexican border documentary – medium synopsis: Notably, this Mexican border documentary follows a Mexican family that travels 3,000 miles to the United States. In fact, they travel from the jungle near Belize to the U.S. to work near the border of Canada.  Every family has a black sheep.. will this stand in their way of making a better future for their children? In particular, this interesting Mexican border documentary by Glynn, follows the personal story of Jairo, a hard-working Mexican who migrates along with his brother and cousins to the USA, in order to find work to support relatives back in Mexico.  Jairo had been on track selling wood in his family firm.  Then, his major client ran into problems along with the economy in Mexico.

Due to these facts, the film also looks at current immigration issues in the United States. Dramatically, the story takes a turn when Jairo’s cousin is arrested by local police, and putting the entire family in danger of deportation. Jairo is a hard worker.  We follow him as he starts at the lowest level jobs on the dairy farm and moves up to the most difficult jobs. Finally, he lands the job that even most of the Americans are not capable or willing to do.

In Glynn’s Mexican border documentary, we meet many people who want to stem the tide of immigration from Mexico.  In contrast, we meet people who help those who make the long, tough journey for new jobs in the United States. Director, Glynn traveled to film on location in New York, Washington, DC, Wisconsin, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and Quintana Roo, Mexico.

In the Shadows, a Mexican border documentary – detailed synopsis: In the Shadows shows life on a typical, large, dairy farm in the northeast region of the United States. At first, we meet Jairo, a farm worker who is helping a cow in distress birth her calf. He skillfully removes the calf from the cow using a winch and a lot of elbow grease. Jairo is from Nohbec, Mexico. He is 32 years old and has been on the dairy farm since 2001.

Due to financial problems, he left Mexico to find work in the United States. In the event that he found a job, he did not expect to find a job he would like. In fact, he winds up on a dairy farm where he learns about all aspects of dairy farming. Ultimately, he is feeding the animals; milking the cows and giving medicine to sick animals. Lastly, it was hard, grueling work, but Jairo enjoyed his work on the farm. In the Shadows offers a balanced view as a Mexican border documentary about the issues at hand:

  • Also, there are also many who work to treat the illegals as humanely as possible. In fact we meet a man who escaped the Soviet-occupied Hungary in 1956. He walked 50 miles to safety, and now helps those crossing the Mexican border.  Since strangers helped him on his trip 50 years ago, he wants to return the favor to Mexicans today.  Interestingly, he believes that the US border should be like the European Union, more of an open frontier. Other kind people place casks of water where undocumented immigrants have been found dead in the desert.
  • Some US citizens have taken it upon themselves to “man” the border in a post 9/11 vigilante mode. They are “minutemen” or a volunteer border patrol as they call themselves.  Indeed, they feel that the border patrol is unable to police the entire border and that some checkpoints actually go unmanned.
  • In addition, an immigration lawyer explains that the vast majority of deportations are to Mexico.  However, Mexicans are not the vast majority of illegal aliens. Sadly, she says that there is a massive movement to make discrimination and abuse of Mexicans legal.
  • The problem is deepened by the economic gap between the US and Mexico.  What is more, the current US policy turns a blind eye on undocumented immigration.

In order that there may be a change, Jairo tells us of his difficult journey from Mexico in this Mexican border documentary. During one border crossing, he and his group of migrants were attacked while crossing by six thieves with guns, who beat them and took their money,  German, Jairo’s brother, relates that he was sent back to Mexico four times by US Border Agents.  Also, he was without food or water for those three days.  He recalls, “It seemed like the end.” Someday, Jairo would like to return to Mexico permanently and run his own firm, using his income to support his family. Meanwhile, Jairo’s wife and two children live in an home that is under construction in Mexico. After he is done working on the dairy farm, he hopes to save enough in order to send his children to school and have professional career opportunities in Mexico.

Jairo’s distance from home in Mexico is hard on his family and more so on his 5-year-old son. Importantly, this Mexican border documentary captures a tense scene when Julio, Jairo’s cousin, is arrested for drunken driving in NY.  Later, after being released by the police, Julio comes home and shares his story with the family household.  Julio is certain that he will be deported. All the while, his family members are slowly roused from their sleep by this drama.  In view of this, they all are very worried that they too would be sent back to Mexico by Homeland Security.

Ultimately, only Julio was deported. Immigration officials shackled his hands and feet and kept him in jail for a month in the US.  Next, they sent him back to Mexico. In any case, once Julio is back in Mexico, he cannot return to the US for 10 years. He would like to return to the US to work and be with his friends and family on the farm. Of course,  that is now impossible. In the Shadows begs the question, is this difficult migrant life really worth it?