Coming to PBS’s Independent Lens tonight, Monday, January 27: THE STATE OF ARIZONA
Carlos Sandoval and Catherine Tambini’s exploration of Arizona’s divisive immigration legislation has participated in various community screenings in the lead up to its national broadcast tonight.
Taking a wide-ranging approach, Sandoval and Tambini offer both macro and micro views of the controversy, contextualizing the extreme steps the state has taken within a larger discourse around federal immigration and border policy, while also checking in on major and minor players on a local level, from Governor Jan Brewer, State Senator Russell Pearce, and Sheriff Joe Arpaio, all very vocal supporters of the Draconian laws under debate; to their opponents in grassroots groups like Puente, represented here by Carlos Garcia; as well as everyday individuals drawn into the controversy on both sides, woven through intermittently. While successful in providing a surprisingly comprehensive overview, this expansive focus allows the viewer to get only a surface glimpse rather than a deeper, more intimate appreciation of the impact of either the influx of undocumented individuals on the community or of the harsh laws that opponents say are based on harassment and racial profiling.
what (not) to doc 