SEASON OF DEATH 
| Directed by: | Angi Bones |
|---|---|
| Country: | U S A |
| Created: | 2006 |
| Runtime: | 6960 min. |
| Member: | SymmetryEntertainment |
Average rating: 5 by 1 users
Film Description:
A record 473 migrants died in the last year while crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, the most since the U.S. Border Patrol began tracking such deaths in 1999.
Last summer's heat wave in Arizona, along with rising numbers of illegal crossers and tough law enforcement that forced them to take more perilous routes, were among the top reasons for the rising toll, U.S. authorities say.
These deaths are vastly attributed to extreme climatic conditions, both the heat of the summer as well as freezing temperatures causing hypothermia in the mountains in the winter, with heat exposure and dehydration being the leading cause of deaths. The desert temperatures can top over 100 degrees. The heat is merciless to the migrants crossing desert in search of work in America. Thousands of migrants have died trying to cross the United States-Mexico border in the past decade and the death toll continues to grow each day.
Many of the deaths were unheralded, with victims' bodies going unidentified and relatives never knowing what happened to their loved ones.
Many of the bodies that are discovered are never identified; the victim’s fate remains a mystery even to close family and friends. What begins as a journey for economic advancement, with dreams of higher wages and money proudly sent home has resulted in more than 3,000 deaths since 1994, according to the California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation (CRLA). Though each death is unique, they follow a similar pattern. A call is placed, alerting relatives that a cousin or brother is heading north. Families make preparations for a reunification celebration. Days pass, then weeks. No one arrives.
In the end, many died in the desert and though hundreds of migrants perish each year along the near 2000 mile span of border; a growing number of casualties die as a direct consequence of a border program launched eleven years ago, Operation Gatekeeper.
And while the strategy has not deterred migrants from venturing north, it has added a new wrinkle to the migration equation: death.
Forced into harsh deserts where temperatures can reach 140 degrees (F), the number of dead migrants continues to grow.
Synopsis
A record 473 migrants died in 2006 while crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. The majority of these deaths occured during April - September which is dubbed the the 'Season of Death' by the US Border Patrol. 'Season of Death' is a thought provoking documentary that details migrant death along the US/Mexico border as migrants make the life or death journey in search of economic advancement for a better life for themselves and the ones they leave behind.
Forms: Documentary
Genres: Educational, Human Rights
Niches: African American, Latino
Cast & Crew
Angi Bones (Director, Producer), Dianne Ashford (Producer)
CameraDerrick Doose (Cinematographer/DP (1st Project,1st Feature))
Post ProductionCharles Lemmons (Picture Editor), Robert Peterson (Picture Editor)
MusicChris Lee (Original Music/Composer)
RepresentationAngi Bones (Agent, Manager, Publicist)
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1 Comments about SEASON OF DEATH
Sep 26, 2006 07:25PM
Film Producers Shed Light on Illegal Immigration Through Thought Provoking Documentary
Friday August 11, 10:02 pm ET
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2008 Presidential election will not solely be won on a candidate's position on the Iraq War; however America's own war on illegal immigration will be a deciding factor! Symmetry Entertainment, producers Angi Bones (Madea's Family Reunion) & Dianne Ashford (The Gospel), along with Executive Producer Tyler Perry (Madea's Family Reunion) announce the Los Angeles screening of the documentary, SEASON OF DEATH, an emotional, dramatic and TRUE story from the eyes of the thousands of migrants who flee to America each month. See for the first time on the big screen a documentary investigating the untold story of migrants who have left behind all they know to risk their life for what seems a better life in America! This film is meant for its viewers to think twice before deriving their own conclusion about Mexican immigrants who flee to America and WHY so many illegal immigrants refuse to leave. Witness the struggle, the sacrifice, the extreme price they pay on this tedious journey.
This Oscar worthy body of work has never before been duplicated. This documentary will provide insight for those who are not aware of what actually occurs during a migrant's escape from Mexico to America. THE SEASON OF DEATH will also shed a bit of realism for those who are knowledgeable of this sensitive and political issue.
The film producers aim to bring awareness to the tragedies along the United States-Mexico border spanning 2000 miles from California to Texas as many migrate to America in search for better education, jobs and living conditions. With heat exposure and dehydration being the leading cause of death, migrants journey north for economic advancement with dreams of higher wages. However, many neglect to realize how many lives would have to be sacrificed in search for that dream.
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