Tag Archives: Immigration

Carolina Gaitàn to Star in the Female-Led Drama Thriller Series “Second Chance”

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Carolina Gaitàn is getting her second chance…

The 38-year-old Colombian actress and singer will star in the drama thriller series, Second Chance.

Carolina GaitànGaitàn will star opposite Denise Richards and AnnaLynne McCord in the female-led series.

Alexis Ren and Tiffany Hines will also star.

Set to debut worldwide later this year, Second Chance is a 10-part series that tells the story of three domestic cleaning workers and their clients as they struggle to overcome their pasts and grapple with the challenge of creating a better future.

Gaitàn plays service worker Marianna in the series, who finds herself navigating “extraordinary and dangerous situations” alongside her two friends Shira (played by Ren) and Jackie (played by Hines).

The series will grapple with topics including diversity, xrights, immigration, women’s equality and organized crime as well as focusing on themes such as perseverance, identity and love, with the three female lead characters drawing on their innate strength as well as each other’s support to get through hard times.

Luke Goss, Hannah Ware, Jake Manley and Jerry Ferrara round out the cast.

USATV Productions are executive producing the series.

Gaitàn, who played Pepa Madrigal in Disney’s smash-hit animated musical, will next be seen in Andres Beltran’s Quicksand and Ileana D. Vasquez’s Perfidious.

Lin-Manuel Miranda Among Artists Offering Civic Lessons in Netflix’s Animated Series “We the People”

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Lin-Manuel Miranda is giving a civics lesson…

The 41-year-old Puerto Rican actor, singer, songwriter, rapper, producer and playwright, the mastermind behind the Tony Award-winning musical Hamilton, lends his voice to the new animated Netflix series We the People.

Lin-Manuel Miranda 

Created by Chris Nee and produced by Barack and Michelle Obama, the 10-part series provides a range of civics lessons through three-minute music videos on topics that include the Bill of Rights, immigration and the courts.

In addition to Miranda, the series also features award-winning artists H.E.R., Brandi Carlisle, Bebe Rexha and others.

Miranda took on the topic of “The Three Branches of Government” episode, writing and performing the song “Checks and Balances,” alongside Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Daveed Diggs, Brittany Howard and Robert Lopez.

With its light hip-hop bear, the catchy number explains the checks and balances of the United States government.

Meanwhile, Jorge R. Gutierrez directs the immigration-themed episode, which features the track “American Citizen,” performed by Bebe Rexha.

The 46-year-old Mexican animator, painter, writer, voice actor, and production designer helms Rexha’s pop message that lets everyone know from the second they are born, they are an “American Citizen.”

The episode is full of visual treats showing how the country is one built from a nation of immigrants, as animated versions of Sofia Vergara, Steven Chen, Anousheh Ansari and Padma Lakshmi are all featured to illustrate the point.

We the People premiered on Sunday, July 4 on Netflix.

Lifetime Gives Green Light to “Torn From Her Arms” Movie Inspired by Jimena Madrid’s Separation from Mother at U.S. Border

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Jimena Madrid’s heartbreaking immigration story is headed to the small screen…

Lifetime has given a green light to Torn From Her Arms, an original movie from Ozy Media, inspired by the separation of the six-year-old Salvadoran child from her mother at the U.S. border due to the Donald Trump administration’s zero-tolerance family separation policy.

Jimena Madrid

The made-for-television movie, which stems from Ozy Media’s development partnership with A+E Networks, is part of Lifetime’s Ripped from the Headlines franchise inspired by news and true events. Originally covered by Ozy’s reporting arm, Torn From Her Arms marks Ozy’s first foray into scripted programming and an expansion of its television catalog.

Per Lifetime, Torn from Her Arms is the timely story of Cindy and Jimena Madrid, a mother and daughter who fled violence in El Salvador, only to be separated at the U.S. border. Detained in different centers, Cindy and Jimena’s story gained national attention when the audiotape of Jimena crying for her mother was leaked, helping to alert the world to what was happening to undocumented immigrant families at the border. The movie shines a spotlight on the harsh child separation policies in place as part of the zero-tolerance policy and the struggle to reunite families.

Torn From Her Arms is written by Tawnya Bhattacharya and Ali Laventhol. Lifetime and Ozy Media are currently searching for a director and casting for the movie.

The 2020 Ripped from the Headlines winter slate was seen by over 25.1 million total viewers, according to Nielsen Live+7.

Emmanuel Lubezki Partners with Kind for “No More Deaths” Campaign

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Emmanuel Lubezki is using his talents to spread a message of empathy…

The 53-year-old Mexican cinematographer, a three-time Academy Award winner, has partnered with Kind to produce a video for the granola bar company’s new campaign.

Emmanuel Lubezki

Lubezki, of Birdman, Gravity and The Revenant fame, personally interprets the difference between nice and kind through the eyes of volunteers from No More Deaths.

Diverting the focus from the many militia groups on the Mexico-US border, Lubezki’s short, More Than Nice, follows volunteers from the humanitarian group as they walk through the Sonoran Desert leaving jugs of water for migrants attempting to cross.

Their objective is not to encourage nor deter people from crossing, but simply to save lives. Although seemingly small, the group’s actions make a real difference for those in desperate situations facing harsh natural conditions.

“I was struck not just by the incredible courage but also by the tremendous empathy that these volunteers had, going out of their way to protect the well-being of fellow human beings they may never meet,” said Lubezki for Kind’s website.

The issue hits home not only for Lubezki, but also for KIND CEO Daniel Lubetzky – both are Jewish-Mexican immigrants who have used their respective platforms to connect people, expand understanding and strengthen communities.

To learn more about No More Deaths visit: www.nomoredeaths.org KIND is inviting people to share their own take on the difference between nice and kind by submitting a written essay, photo or video.

A panel of judges, made up of entrepreneurs, creatives, journalists and activists will select three winners who will receive $25,000 to donate to the charity of their choice, along with resources, including cash prizes and photography/videography gear to help fund their next creative project.