Canada/El Salvador, Human Rights/Social Issue Documentary, 2013
58 min, MiniDV/Super 8mm, Color/Black & White
Spanish, English with English subtitles

Fearing for his life, Joaquín, a member of the HIV+ gay community and a Salvadorian political activist, sets in motion a desperate attempt to seek asylum in Canada. With a deportation order hanging over him, Joaquín is given a reprieve by a Federal Judge who orders a judicial review of his case. Six months later, Joaquín receives a letter in the mail summoning him to a meeting with an immigration officer at the Border Agency on Airport Road. They have a response for him and he must come in person. On the way to the meeting, Joaquín is not so sure he’ll get a positive answer. After receiving a Rainbow Grant in 2010 for the production of EL CAÑAVERAL, the film has gone on to screen at festivals internationally, including a stop at the San Diego Latin Film Festival earlier this year.

Regional Premiere

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About the director

Samuel Lopez was born in El Salvador. He left with his family during the civil war in the 1980s and settled in Montreal. In 1993, he made the documentary SAMUEL & SAMANTHA, an autobiographical documentary about life as a Latino drag queen. In 2008, he made the documentary OUR FACES, OUR STORIES for the group Latinos Positivos Toronto. Samuel is currently filming his latest documentary set in El Salvador, JHONNY, TURN TO GOD.

Credits

Producer: Jorge Manzano
Production Companies: Nepantla Films Inc.
Screenwriter: Jorge Manzano, Samuel Lopez
Cinematographer: Jorge Manzano
Editor: Frank Cassano
Sound Design: Glen Gummerson
Music: Edgardo Moreno

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