Life on the line [electronic resource] / by Cactus Media.

New York, NY : Filmakers Library, 2008.

Spanish

Spanish, subtitles in English.

1 online resource (32 min.).

Every year thousands of migrants from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala leave their families and homes in Central America in their attempt to make a life for themselves in "El Norte" (the U.S.). Staking everything they own on a one-way trip to the promised land, they encounter police abuse, robbery, extortion, rape and even murder at the hands of Mexicans. Ironically, Mexicans face similar hardships when they try to enter the U.S. illegally. This powerful documentary tells the stories of the desperate Central American men, women and children who put their lives on the line for a dream they can never be sure to reach. As they journey north through Tabasco and Veracruz, traveling along the tracks of the train known as "The Beast, these migrants are treated not as human beings but as a profitable industry. Cristina, a Honduran woman, had left her daughter behind in the hope of finding a job in the U.S. that would let her send money back to her family. She got stopped at the border, when Mexican authorities wouldn't let her leave until she could pay the "coyotes" (people smugglers). She finally made it to Houston, where she started working. Since the film was made, the trains leaving Chiapas for the north were suspended and thousands of migrants were stranded in Chiapas without food or money. Military forces and police dealt with the situation by means of massive deportations and human rights violations.

Originally released as DVD.
Title from resource description page (viewed May 24, 2011).

For College; Adult audiences.

Best Short Film, Al Jazeera Film Festival, 2008

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