I have chosen to analyze this short film representing the ongoing issue surrounding immigration in the United States. To briefly summarize, this informational video shows several real time moments where children from as young as 4 years old are taken to court in exchange for their hearing and place in this country. However, often these children do not have a lawyer present to defend them, this is where the issue comes into hand. Linda Freedman is a filmmaker who based this film on a reading made by another author [Anna Ciesielski, a young lawyer working for Immigration Counseling Service]. So far, this is the only film that Freedman has worked on. She wanted to bring light to this topic because it does not get the attention or aid that it deserves. She stated that she was also not familiar with this issue and once she learned about it, it quickly broke through her. The main point in this film being that the children must represent themselves, when by law everyone has the right to an attorney and if they can’t afford one the government must provide them with one. Which would you leave you wondering why can’t this be the same for immigrant children?  Freedman includes at least two minutes of how these court hearings usually happen: the child walks in and sits on the chair, they are handed a pair of headphones, set the mic and proceed to make eye contact with the judge. The headphones are given to them because they are at least given a translator that helps them communicate as much as they can with the judge because they are not able to speak back in English, I believe that at 1:40-2:25 is where this hearing becomes the most impactful part of the film. This video can easily inform the general public with why the issue is as bad as it sounds. It can also inform higher professionals that can help fix the problem such as attorneys, translators, and the government. This video was also made to persuade others because towards the end of the video, Freedman provides a link where people can donate to the organization leading these children [https://www.unaccompaniedchildren.org.] This is where her stance comes in because she is leading the reason for why others must help; her filmmaking can only do so much. After educating herself, Linda Freedman wants to educate the rest of America and do her part with her privilege in uplifting these children’s voices and their stories.  

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