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The 30-minute film, Women Between Worlds,
directed by Exsul Van Helden, Villa Julie College's
associate professor of art, sociologist, and
cinematographer, will premiere in spring 2003. The
documentary focuses on the struggles of seven immigrant
women coming to the United States from around the world.
Van Helden notes that the film will show how
these women overcome the difficulties of cultural
barriers. The participants include a painter from China,
a computer technician from Yugoslavia, a computer
information specialist from Senegal, an architect from
Lebanon, a secretary from Columbia, a student from
Vietnam, and a photographer from Russia.
"These women were chosen with the help of
the Community Assistance for Immigrants and Refugees,
the Department of Human Resources, Maryland's Human
Services Agency, and the Baltimore Resettlement Center,"
said Van Helden. Organizations that support immigrant
women will use the film to show how these women were
able to assimilate into the American culture.
Villa Julie College professor of
anthropology and sociology, Esther Chedekel Horrocks,
Ph. D., developed the questions asked in the interviews.
Horrocks, Cheryl Sunderland, VJC's assistant director
for development, and Diane DiSalvo, the exhibitions
director here, have worked hard since 1999 to get the
movie started, explained Van Helden.
The production will cost about $30,000, said
Van Helden. In December 2000, the Maryland Humanities
Council granted $9,385 towards the film
project.
 VJC history professor Alexander Boulton, Ph.
D. and Assistant Professor of English language and
literature, Nanette C. Tamer, Ph.D., are also
collaborating in the production of the film. Other
participants include Fernando Tosti, the film director
for the production; Molly Rath, staff writer for The
City Paper; Dory Storms Sc. D., senior scientist in
International Health at the John Hopkins University; and
Edward L. McDill, Ph D., professor of sociology at the
John Hopkins University who will help to edit the
general structure of the film.
Laura Schweigman, Megan Pearrell, and Paul
Sullivan, VJC alumni, are also working with the
production team, along with senior Bethany Sparks.
Women Between Worlds will premiere at VJC,
combining a gallery show debuting works from immigrant
artists.
In the future, Van Helden
says that there will be a one-hour production for
broadcast. The film will emphasize the attitudes
of United States citizens towards immigrants.
- The Villager, April
3, 2002, Page 3 |
