Home Is Somewhere Else

(Mi casa está en otra parte)
Carlos Hagerman, Jorge Villalobos | Documentary, Animation

2022 | 87 minutes | Mexico, United States

Recommended by Alejandro González Iñárritu, this multi-award-winning animated story offers an intimate window into the hearts and minds of immigrant Latin youth. A powerful reminder of how the color of your passport determines your life.

Synopsis

Home Is Somewhere Else shares the rich complexity of the emotional experiences of immigrant children and families to better understand and empathize with them. It invites discussion about the need for a new US migratory model based on respect for human rights for all.

In this documentary animation, three young immigrants tell their stories. Eleven-year-old Jasmine fears being separated from her undocumented parents and sets off to become an activist to protect families like her own. Sisters Evelyn and Elizabeth. Evelyn was born in the USA but has chosen to return to Mexico, while her sister Elizabeth, an illegal immigrant in Los Angeles, is struggling to realize her ambitions. Finally, Lalo shares the story of his childhood, deportation experience, finding a way back, and transforming his challenges through his work as an artist and activist.

Voiced by the actual children and their families, the stories are woven together by spoken word poet José Eduardo Aguilar, also known as Lalo “El Deportee,” the film’s host and MC whose vibrant “Spanglish” breaks codes, switches standards, and pushes the viewer to decipher his poems. Their painful experiences and vibrant hopes and dreams lend themselves well to animation. A powerful reminder of how the color of your passport determines your life.

Reviews

"Draws, in a simple and beautiful way, the complex reality of millions of people." – Alejandro González Iñárritu

"An earnest call for empathy in a country that is witnessing an unprecedented influx of immigrants." – Emiliano Granada, Variety

"Imaginative drawings that allow for greater intimacy and understanding." – The Film Veredic

"Profoundly unique." – The Takeaway / WNYC

"A window into the hearts and minds of immigrant youth and their undocumented families." – Rose Aguilar, Bee Soll, KALW 91.7 FM Bay Area

Citation
Main credits

Hagerman, Carlos (film director)
Hagerman, Carlos (screenwriter)
Hagerman, Carlos (film producer)
Villalobos, Jorge (film director)
Villalobos, Jorge (screenwriter)
Villalobos, Jorge (film producer)
Rendón, Guillermo (film producer)

Other credits

Editing, Inger Díaz-Barriga Leal [and 3 others]; music, Javier Álvarez; animation, Alejandro García "Male", Sarah Páramo, Andrea Mondragón.


Citation
Cataloging
Keywords
Home Is Somewhere Else,Mi casa está en otra parte,español,spanish,english,migration,undocumented,empathy,culture,Carlos Hagerman,Jorge Villalobos,Elizabeth,Evelyn,Jasmine,José Eduardo Aguilar,El Deportee, México,Mexico,USA,United States,border,animation,documentary,migration,immigration,migration studies,migrant studies,immigration studies,refugee studies,diaspora studies,resettlement studies,settlement studies,migration,migrant,immigration,refugee,diaspora,resettlement,settlement,refugees,international migration,continental migration,resettling,settlers,settler,migrant,migrant studies,first generation immigrant,first generation immigration,new americans,new spaniards,culture,identity,identity politics,culture wars,left wing,right wing,intersectionality,identity groups,civilization,literacy,humanism,cancel culture,online culture,cultural revolution,cultural diffusion,culture shock,popular culture,pop culture,material culture,cultural capital,cultural assimilation ,north america,america,us,usa,united states,united states of america,us mexico and canada,map of north america,north american countries,states of north america,provinces of north america,countries of north america,continental america,activism,activist,digital activism,advocacy,advocate,involvement,militancy,militant,logrolling,striking,boycotting,championing,champion,effecting change,engagement,supporter,protest,protester,demonstrator,organizing,labor organizing,revolution,revolutionary,community organizing,effecting change,striking,labor strike,labor organizing,family,kin,fellowship,household,immediate family,extended family,multigenerational family,multigenerational household,kinfolk,family tree,genealogy,nuclear family,modern family,family tree,international relations,global relations,global studies,international studies,international affairs,intercontinental relations,intercontinental studies,foreign studies,foreign relations,national relations,national studies,cross-continental studies,cross-continental relations,political science,micropolitics,macropolitics,political theory,political education,political movements,political thinking,political criticism,poly sci,polysci,political sci,political sciences,political history,history of politics,political systems,sociology,anthropology,psychology,sociological,sociological perspectives,conflict theory,human conflicts,sociological thinking,conflict perspective,topics in sociology,sociology topics,sociology studies,social studies,people and cultures,human relations,human relationships,cultural studies,culture studies ,child,children,childhood,kid,girl,girlhood,boy,boyhood,teen,teenager,puberty,adolescence,adolescent,coming-of-age,minor,kiddo,kids,juvenile,stripling,moppet,tyke,tween,tot,toddler,sonny,girlie,underaged,dependent,youngster,infancy,babyhood,girlhood,boyhood,friendships,juvenescence,juvenility,springtime,early life,racism,discrimination,prejudice,ethnicity,ethnic,race studies,ethnic studies,racist,racial sensitivity,bias,prejudice,racial prejudice,ethnic prejudice,genetics,hereditary,culture,ethnic culture,ethnology,ethnography,ethnic sensitivity; "Home Is Somewhere Else"; Pragda Films
Clips
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Festivals

Montclair Film Festival - Winner NJ Films Competition; San Diego Latino Film Festival - Best Frontera Feature, Audience Award; IDFA International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam - Best Youth Doc 14+; Havana Film Festival - Coral de Animación Award; Zanate Mexican Documentary Film Festival - Honor Mention; New York Children's Film Festival; Cleaveland International Film Festival; Guadalajara International Film Festival; Annecy International Animation Film Festival

DIRECTOR: Carlos Hagerman, Jorge Villalobos

NATIONALITY: Mexico, United States

YEAR: 2022

GENRE: Documentary, Animation

LANGUAGE: Spanish; English

COLOR / B&W: Color

GRADE LEVEL: Middle School, High School, College, Adult

SUBTITLE/CC: AVAILABLE

AUDIO DESCRIPTION: NOT AVAILABLE

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