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Mexico in the Middle: Child Immigrants Flee Violence Back in Central America

Following the 2014 immigration crisis, Obama administration officials began to take note that a large and constant number of undocumented children and teenagers from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador were fleeing their violence in their homelands and attempting to enter the United States. This story examines the dangers they faced as they crossed into southern Mexico on their way north. The documentary begins aboard a migrant smuggler's boat on a remote river in Guatemala's northern Peten region.

  • Franc Contreras
    Director
  • Franc Contreras
    Writer
  • Cactus Films, Mexico City
    Producer
    Rush Hour, Aqui Sigo, H2O Mx
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short, Television
  • Runtime:
    17 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    August 29, 2014
  • Production Budget:
    3,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    China
  • Country of Filming:
    Guatemala, Mexico
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Water in the Desert
Distribution Information
  • China Global Television Network, Americas Now
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Franc Contreras

Franc Contreras is the Writer and Director of MEXICO IN THE MIDDLE. Since 1996, he has traveled Latin America reporting in addition to writing and directing hundreds of short and medium format documentary scripts for global news organizations including Al Jazeera English, BBC World Service Television and the China Global Television Network. Born near the U.S./Mexico border, Franc has been documenting the immigration phenomenon from Mexico and Central America since the mid-1980s.

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Director Statement

When large numbers of unaccompanied children and women from the so-called northern triangle of Central American began crossing the U.S./Mexico border in 2014, international media attention rightly focused on their stories. It was a prime opportunity to take our camera further south and show what they were experiencing as they crossed into southern Mexico. We had financing for a short expository documentary that needed do be shot, edited and delivered in less than three weeks.