Synopsis:
After
the Sept.11 terrorist attacks, more than 5,000 people, mainly non-U.S.
nationals of South Asian or Middle Eastern origin, were taken into custody
by the U.S. Justice Department and held indefinitely on grounds of national
security. Muslim immigrants were subject to arbitrary arrest, secret detention,
solitary confinement, and deportation. Many were denied access to legal
representation and communication wit their families.
During
a period when the U.S. government has made every effort to depersonalize
these detentions, refusing to reveal the names or even the number of immigrants
detained, the voices of those affected — their testimonials and experiences
— become our only window into the human costs of post September 11th immigration
policies.
Following
an unconventional format, Persons of Interest presents a series of encounters
between former detainees and directors Alison Maclean (Jesus’ Son) and
Tobias Perse in an empty room which serves both visually and symbolically
as an interrogation room, home, and prison cell. Through interviews, family
photographs, and letters from prison, the directors have fashioned a compelling
and poignant film, allowing those affected a chance to tell their own
stories.
|
