Illegal

Illegal is a feature-length documentary about the miraculous journey of Salvadoran immigrant Laz Ayala’s life or death path to U.S. citizenship, the challenges of present-day immigration, and his mission to humanize immigrants and reform immigration for the benefit of all.

The film begins as Laz journeys back to his childhood home in El Salvador. He recounts his arduous path north on the Pan American Highway with his father and brother where at any moment they could have been discovered and turned back… or killed. Laz’s life is a story of struggle, determination, and hope for a brighter future for immigrants, the industries that rely upon them, and our entire country.

Illegal wrapped up a successful Kickstarter campaign on April 3rd, 2020 which raised over $40,000 for the production of the film. As of April 2020, the film has been selected to over a dozen festivals including Beverly Hills International Film Festival, Ashland Independent Film Festival, and Richmond International Film Festival.

  • Nick Alexander
    Director
  • Lazaro Ayala
    Producer
  • Lazaro Ayala
    Key Cast
    "Protagonist"
  • Robert Vaca
    Key Cast
    "Host"
  • Lazaro Ayala
    Writer
  • Nick Alexander
    Writer
  • Marina Bernal
    Supporting Cast
  • Mike Naumes
    Supporting Cast
  • Robert Boggess
    Supporting Cast
  • Mark Knox
    Supporting Cast
  • Tom Cole
    Supporting Cast
  • Rick Harris
    Supporting Cast
  • Stacey Boals
    Supporting Cast
  • Claudette Moore
    Supporting Cast
  • Jackie Adams
    Supporting Cast
  • Linda Schott
    Supporting Cast
  • Kevin Stout
    Supporting Cast
  • Luis Ayala
    Supporting Cast
  • Linda Scott
    Supporting Cast
  • Karla Garcia
    Supporting Cast
  • Madelene Salazar
    Supporting Cast
  • Eveling Alexander
    Film Crew
  • Tanner Northrop
    Film Crew
  • Alina Williams
    Film Crew
  • Mark Knox
    Film Crew
  • Ezra Marcos
    Film Crew
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 19 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    October 15, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    90,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    El Salvador, Mexico, United States
  • Language:
    English, Spanish
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Beverly Hills Film Festival
    Los Angeles
    United States
    September 1, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Ashland Independent Film Festival
    Ashland, Oregon
    United States
    May 20, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Richmond International Film Festival
    Richmond, VA
    United States
    September 1, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Maryland International Film Festival
    Hagerstown, MD
    United States
    August 28, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Winter Film Awards International Film Festival
    New York City
    United States
    February 23, 2020
    World Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Docs Without Borders Film Festival

    United States
    Excellence Award
  • Red Dirt Film Festival
    Stillwater, Oklahoma
    United States
    March 6, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Vegas Movie Awards
    Las Vegas, Nevada
    United States
    Honorable Mention: Best Indie Feature
  • Universe Multicultural Film Festival
    Hollywood, CA
    United States
    September 1, 2020
    Official Selection
  • New Media Film Festival
    Los Angeles, CA
    United States
    June 3, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Garifuna International Indigenous Film Festival
    Los Angeles, CA
    United States
    November 5, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Dumbo Film Festival

    United States
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Nick Alexander

Nick Alexander is an Oregon filmmaker aspiring to convey powerful, inspirational stories through the medium of film. For the past 4 years, he has grown his video production business, focusing on video marketing, weddings and documentaries.

In academia, he received a Bachelors Degree in the studies of Emerging Media & Digital Art and Spanish from Southern Oregon University. Being fluent in Spanish and having cultural experience in the Latin American world, these qualities led him to his first feature film: Illegal.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

In 2016 when I graduated from university, I told people that my dream was to film a documentary in Latin America. At the time I was clueless of how this would come to pass — until the day I met Laz Ayala, an immigrant from El Salvador.

Laz and I met at the Southern Oregon Rotary Club where I was hired to film Laz’s speech. Thirty minute keynote — nothing out of the ordinary, right? Wrong. After hearing Laz’s testimony, I was inspired by his life story, suggesting that it could be a powerful film. In November 2018, I was chosen to direct his movie and my dream became a reality. At that time my motivation for telling Laz’s story was purely biographical—to give the American public an opportunity to step into the immigrant’s shoes and learn about their story of desire, struggle and success.

However, as I finish editing today and am exporting the final movie, I realize that sharing Laz’s narrative is not just a “feel-good” underdog success story; rather, it is about finding a solution to the conundrum of illegal immigration, one that is humane, impartial and a win-win for the migrant, employer and American society. Creating this movie has become more than just achieving a personal dream, but standing up for something that really matters in this life — and that is humanity. Everyone has a name, a story and a dream. Proudly, I share with you the story of Laz Ayala.