San Diego Asian Film Festival 2009

From its confrontational opening scene of a man furious that he had heard Spanish at the local hardware store, 9500 LIBERTY sets the stage of a complex, politically charged drama unfolding in real life.

In the center of the storm is one of the richest and most diverse counties in the nation – Prince William County, Virginia – which became ground zero in America’s explosive battle over immigration policy in July of 2007. This is when elected officials adopted a law requiring police officers to question anyone they suspected to be an undocumented immigrant. Opponents cried foul, saying the law legalizes racial profiling while supporters hoped it would be the catalyst to send “illegals” back home.

Clashes consumed this community, and caught in the crossfire were filmmakers Eric Byler and Annabel Park who captured hours of raw debate. They turned this footage into a series of videos on Youtube as part of an interactive documentary, which eventually gained the attention of the The Washington Post, and the U.S. Civil Rights Commission.

9500 LIBERTY reveals the devastating social and economic impact of the “Immigration Resolution,” felt in the lives of real people in homes and in local businesses. But the ferocious fight to adopt and then reverse this policy unfolds inside government chambers, on the streets, and on the Internet. 9500 LIBERTY provides a front row seat to all three battlegrounds.

Screening co-presented by:
Anti-Defamation League
UCSD Cross Cultural Center
USD Trans-Border Institute
Bayside Community Center
Border Angels
MAAC Project
ACLU San Diego