Experiencing Interruptions?

120 DAYS: Undocumented in America

Family man Miguel Cortes could be forced to leave the country in four months as a result of his immigration status. In exchange for Miguel agreeing to leave the country voluntarily and paying a $5,000 bond, a North Carolina immigration judge offers him 120 days to get his affairs in order before leaving his wife and two daughters in the United States to continue their education. Miguel has 120 Days to work hard, save money and weigh his options about returning to Mexico alone, or risk changing his name and disappearing back into another U.S. city illegally to keep his family together.

  • Ted Roach
    Director
  • Ted Roach
    Writer
  • Ted Roach
    Producer
    Somay Ku; A Uganda Tennis Story, Ke$ha: My Crazy Beautiful Life
  • Brad Allgood
    Producer
    Landfill Harmonic
  • Margaret Herman
    Producer
  • Miguel Cortes
    Key Cast
  • Maria Luisa Cortes
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Feature
  • Genres:
    Documentary, family, current events, political
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 19 minutes 3 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 1, 2014
  • Production Budget:
    70,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English, Spanish
  • Shooting Format:
    HD
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Boston Latino International Film Festival
    Boston, MA
    United States
    September 30, 2016
  • Santa Cruz Film Festival
    Santa Cruz, CA
    United States
    June 3, 2016
  • Down East Flick Fest
    Greenville, NC
    June 3, 2016
    WINNER BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM
  • Riverside International Film Festival
    Riverside, CA
    May 6, 2016
  • (In)Justice For All Film Festival
    Chicago, IL
    April 21, 2016
    Illinois Premiere
    WINNER AUDIENCE AWARD and SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD - FEATURE FILM
  • Ozark Foothills Film Festival
    Batesville, AR
    April 9, 2016
    Arkansas Premiere
    WINNER BEST FEATURE DOCUMENTARY
  • "Latino Americans: 500 Years of History" Museum screening
    North Carolina Museum of History, Raleigh, NC
    March 4, 2016
    Solo exhibition
  • Atlanta International Documentary Film Festival
    Atlanta, GA
    November 21, 2015
    WINNER BEST SOCIAL ISSUE DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
  • Napa Valley Film Festival
    Napa Valley, CA
    November 12, 2015
  • Big Latino Cinema Fest
    Los Angeles, CA
    November 12, 2015
    BEST FILM NOMINATION
  • Greater Washington Immigration Film Festival
    Washington, DC
    October 25, 2015
  • Human Rights Film Series, American University
    Washington, DC
    October 8, 2015
    DC Premiere
  • Cincinnati Film Festival
    Cincinnati, OH
    September 20, 2015
    BEST DIRECTOR NOMINATION
  • Longleaf Film Festival
    Raleigh, NC
    May 2, 2015
    WINNER BEST DOCUMENTARY and BEST MADE-IN-NC
  • Richmond International Film Festival
    Richmond, Virginia
    March 1, 2015
    Virginia Premiere
    WINNER BEST FEATURE AUDIENCE AWARD, AND BEST DIRECTOR FOR TED ROACH
  • RiverRun International Film Festival
    Winston-Salem, NC
    April 25, 2015
  • Palm Beach International Film Festival
    Palm Beach, FL
    March 28, 2015
    Florida Premiere
    NOMINATED BEST DOCUMENTARY
  • Julien Dubuque International Film Festival
    Dubuque, Iowa
    April 23, 2015
    IOWA PREMIERE
  • San Luis Obispo Film Festival
    San Luis Obispo, CA
    March 14, 2015
  • Irvine International Film Festival
    Laguna Hills, CA
    January 16, 2015
  • Kansas International Film Festival
    Kansas City, Kansas
    October 11, 2014
    Midwest Premiere
    WINNER BEST DOCUMENTARY JURY AWARD
  • Charleston International Film Festival
    Charleston, SC
    April 13, 2014
    East Coast Premiere
    WINNER BEST DOCUMENTARY AUDIENCE AWARD
  • St. Louis International Film Festival
    St. Louis, MO
    November 16, 2014
    Missouri Premiere
  • AMFM Festival
    Cathedral City, CA
    November 15, 2014
    WINNER FILM 4 CHANGE AWARD
  • Louisville International Film Festival
    Louisville, KY
    October 11, 2014
    Kentucky Premiere
  • Cucalorus Film Festival
    Wilmington, NC
    November 15, 2014
  • Atlanta Film Festival
    Atlanta, GA
    April 2, 2014
    Southeastern Premiere
  • Dances With Films
    Los Angeles, CA
    June 7, 2014
    West Coast Premiere
  • CineVision Festival
    Santa Fe, NM
    May 3, 2014
    WINNER BEST SOCIAL DOCUMENTARY AWARD
  • Durango Film Festival
    Durango, CO
    February 27, 2014
    Premiere of Completed Cut
  • Southern Colorado Film Festival
    Alamosa, CO
    September 12, 2014
  • CINE Golden Eagle Awards
    Washington, DC
    December 13, 2013
    No screening, juried competition (submitted as Work-in-progress)
    WINNER CINE GOLDEN EAGLE AWARD - FEATURE DOCUMENTARY
  • Austin Film Festival
    Austin, Texas
    October 26, 2013
    World Premiere (as Work-in-progress, many changes before completed February 2014)
    Nominated for Best Documentary (1 of 5 in competition)
Distribution Information
  • Gravitas Ventures
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: Video on Demand, Pay Per View
Director Biography - Ted Roach

Ted Roach is a director, producer and editor who has worked in the film and digital media industries for almost twenty years. His productions have screened in over 50 film festivals, won many awards, and have been broadcast internationally.

Most recently Ted edited 4 music videos for Trace Adkins, directed/edited 3 videos for Drake White, and has started post-production on a new feature documentary entitled "In the Executioner's Shadow." Previously he served as a producer and co-editor on the MTV docu-series "Ke$ha: My Crazy Beautiful Life" in 2012-2013, and has produced/edited several other award-winning, broadcast documentaries ("Somay Ku; A Uganda Tennis Story", "Ecoviews; Three Stories from the Chesapeake Bay" for Maryland Public TV, and "Saving the American Wild Horse"). As a freelance video journalist and editor in Washington, DC between 2008-2012, he created many digital video shorts for organizations such as the National Park Service, NOAA, the Investigative Reporting Workshop, and the American News Project (more details and video links available at www.TedRoach.com).

Prior to his documentary and journalism work, Roach spent six years in Los Angeles working as an assistant director, production coordinator, location scout, production assistant, and also as a motion picture talent agent’s assistant at the William Morris Agency in Beverly Hills. He formed his own production company during this time, Sammy Slate Productions, to produce and direct his first film, “The Gentleman Don La Mancha.”

Ted holds an MFA Film degree from American University in Washington DC, where he won the 2011 University Award for Outstanding Graduate Scholarship, and was a national finalist for the 2010 Student Academy Award in Documentary. He earned a directing/editing certification from the Los Angeles Film School in 2002, and a BA History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1996.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Illegal immigration issues appear in documentary and journalistic programming frequently. However most of this coverage seems to take propagandistic sides in this contentious debate. The ones that manage to avoid opinion-based bias often focus on the most "spectacular" aspects of the issue, such as drug smuggling and treacherous border crossings to lure audiences with danger and adventure. The real-life, personal stories are often lost between the pundits and the dramatizations, and the sum of these programs has created an unrealistic and divisive picture of the undocumented immigrant population in our society today.

I wanted “120 Days” to be different, in order to introduce some balance and humanity into this ongoing debate. As we hear politicians and pundits arguing over statistics, we need to remember that the people most affected are not just numbers. They are individual human beings caught up in economic, social and political forces beyond their control.

"120 days" is an observational, character-based documentary. We tell a very personal family story, but the Cortes family's situation also presents a unique lens through which to examine the larger issues of illegal immigration. It is crucial that the public sees immigration from as many sides as possible, and "120 days" offers one unique, compelling perspective from which to view this controversy; through the eyes of a man could soon lose his family, due to both his own decisions, and the U.S. government's current immigration policies.

My goal in making "120 days" was to let viewers feel what it’s like to be Miguel and his family as they face these difficult decisions. In understanding their perspective, a lot can be learned about not only their plight, but also the same decisions that face millions of immigrants in America everyday. With this goal in mind, we present our documentary "120 days" for your consideration.