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Don't Tell Anyone (No Le Digas a Nadie)

A film by Mikaela Shwer

US | 2015 | 75 minutes | Color | DVD | Order No. 161172

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SYNOPSIS

Since the age of 4, Angy Rivera has lived in the United States with a secret that threatens to upend her life: She is undocumented. Angy arrived with her mother, fleeing violence, poverty, and civil war in their native Colombia. For 20 years they live in the shadows, struggling to stay afloat financially and avoid deportation while battling a complex and inequitable immigration system. "Don’t tell anyone" is a phrase whispered often and branded deeply on the consciousness of all who are undocumented.

Now 24, unable to pay tuition for college and facing an uncertain future, Angy joins the youth-led New York State Youth Leadership Council (YLC) with whom she dons a bullhorn at pro-immigration rallies, telling all who will listen that she is "undocumented and proud." Rivera becomes an activist for undocumented youth with a popular advice blog "Ask Angy" and a YouTube channel boasting more than 27,000 views. She steps out of the shadows a second time to share her story of sexual abuse, an experience all too common among undocumented women. DON’T TELL ANYONE (NO LE DIGAS A NADIE) follows Rivera’s remarkable journey from poverty in rural Colombia to the front page of The New York Times

PRESS

"A poetic and emotional film with a strong message…this is highly recommended."

Video Librarian

"I highly recommend this movie to educators. I used the movie to show my law students the harsh realities of our unforgiving immigration system, and the psychological trauma that our clients have to endure in order to overcome the hurdles in their way to getting documented."

Perna Lal, Attorney Undocumented Student Program, UC Berkeley

“[Don’t Tell Anyone] No le Digas a Nadie illuminates Dreamer’s experience coming out as undocumented."

Brian Latimer NBC Latino

"***1/2"

Video Librarian

SCREENING HIGHLIGHTS AND AWARDS

  • Peabody Award
  • SF DocFest

ABOUT FILMMAKER(S)

Mikaela Shwer

Mikaela Shwer is an award-winning filmmaker and editor. In 2016, her feature directorial debut about undocumented activist Angy Rivera, Don't Tell Anyone (No Le Digas a Nadie) was honored with the George Foster Peabody Award. The film aired on PBS/POV in the fall of 2015 and was supported by ITVS, Latino Public Broadcasting, POV, IFP, and the Fledgling Fund. In 2016, she partnered with PBS SoCal and KCPT on The Re:Dream Project, a national campaign exploring the American Dream, where she directed, produced, and edited eight stories of people in Los Angeles and what the American dream meant to them. Mikaela has also worked in post-production on numerous projects that include: Sundance Channel's Brick City; FX Series Louie, acclaimed films Call Me Kuchu and Like The Water, and The Pilgrims, Debt of honor: Disabled Veterans in American History; and American Ballet Theatre: A History for PBS. (07/19)

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