Border Film Project: Photos by Migrants & Minutemen on the U.S.-Mexico Border [Hardcover]

Rudy Adler (Author), Victoria Criado (Author), Brett Huneycutt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2007

Every year, thousands of undocumented migrants attempt to cross the U.S.-Mexico border, and every year, the Minutemen, a volunteer group of citizens who patrol the border, try to stop them. As the debate over immigration became increasingly fierce and polarized, three friends came up with an ingenious idea to both clarify and humanize the complexities of the issue.

For three months, Rudy Adler, Victoria Criado, and Brett Huneycutt distributed hundreds of disposable cameras, along with the means of returning them, to migrants and Minutemen so they could document their own journeys. The friends received over two thousand photographs that present both sides of the issue—and reveal the harsh realities on the ground. Capturing images from both sides of the border, Border Film Project tells the stories that no news piece, policy debate, or academic study could possibly convey.

Editorial Reviews

Review

" A portrait of the border like no other." -- GOOD Magazine

"...a remarkably creative effort to document life along the U.S. border from two opposing points of view." -- Wall Street Journal

"At a time when the significance of being born to the north or south of an invisible line is becoming more discernible, these pictures capture something that the news reports cannot - a story that is human, cordial, and all the more forceful for being slightly out of focus." -- Dazed and Confused, UK

"If a picture is worth a thousand words, it would take a lot of them to match the rhetoric sparked by the immigration debate. And that's just what the Border Film Project is trying to do with images taken on the front line of the border battle." -- Katie Couric, CBS Evening News

"The project aims to put a face on the tangled politics of the border. It succeeds." -- Yahoo

About the Author

Rudy Adler graduated from the University of Arizona with degrees in Finance and Entrepreneurship. He lives in New York.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams, Inc. (April 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810993155
• ISBN-13: 978-0810993150
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,113,182 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's an outstanding documentary, July 27, 2007

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Border Film Project: Photos by Migrants & Minutemen on the U.S.-Mexico Border (Hardcover)

BORDER FILM PROJECT: PHOTOS BY MIGRANT AND MINUTEMEN ON THE US-MEXICO BORDER could also have been featured in our 'arts' or 'social issues' sections, but is reviewed here for its outstanding documentary value. The authors distributed hundreds of disposable cameras, along with means of returning them, to migrants and Minutemen so they could document their own border and immigration experiences. BORDER FILM PROJECT gathers these images under one cover, pairs them with personal stories which go far beyond the usual news report, and accompanies a traveling exhibition. It's an outstanding documentary highly recommended for any collection strong in photography, social issues, and immigrant issues.

Diane C. Donovan

California Bookwatch

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Deceiving Simplicity, October 14, 2008

By 

Daniel Lobo (Washington, DC More often than not.) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Border Film Project: Photos by Migrants & Minutemen on the U.S.-Mexico Border (Hardcover)

It is a simple, intriguing and skewed project to portray two aspects of the border conflict by giving disposable cameras to illegal migrants and the vigilantes that try to stop them. The pretense of objectivity pushes the notion that both sides have equal reasons to act, and that their legitimacy is understandable. I simply can not agree with this. Not only complicated shades of grey are missing in this narrative, but too much is left to the notion of a naive, pure, reader that will make her own conclusions as she reads the volume. At one point the book seems to try to say "We can agree to disagree", which is a sad and shameful statement for such a painful issue. The fact that a group of people think they are better than others by right of birth is critically serious, and severe enough not to let it go by unchallenged. In that context it is also painful to see how it does not illustrate their contradictions, for instance in domestic and economic policy, or for displaying a blinding and incoherent understanding of history. Likewise it really lacks deep and meaningful references or support information, which ultimately makes for its deceiving objectivity. It might be good eye candy for the informed but lacks much value as an introduction or an actual critical illustration of the issues.

5.0 out of 5 stars Simple, clear and to the point. An Eye opener, January 7, 2008

By 

Jorge Tejeda "jorge" (portland or usa) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Border Film Project: Photos by Migrants & Minutemen on the U.S.-Mexico Border (Hardcover)

Never underestimate the power of images! the book portaits in a very succint way, the causes of illegal immigration and why our borders are so porous. Good book if you are used to think and go beyond propaganda.