Table of Contents
Movies
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Very loosely based on the books by Michael Bond, the movie Paddington (2014) is a live-action animation about the trials and tribulations of a very unusual bear who emigrates to London from Darkest Peru. Rated PG. |
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Don Bluth’s animated An American Tail (1986) is the story of Fievel, a young Russian mouse, separated from his family on the way to America – a country they had thought was free of cats. (“There are no cats in America and the streets are paved with cheese.”) Rated G.
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I Remember Mama (1948) is the warm and funny story of the Hansens, a Norwegian immigrant family in San Francisco in 1910. Nominated for five Academy Awards. It’s not rated, but definitely family-friendly.
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In America (2002) is the story of a family of Irish immigrants – parents and two children – who move (illegally) to a tenement in New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen. It’s a complex story – the family is grieving the loss of a five-year-old son, Frankie – but ultimately hopeful. Rated PG-13. |
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Hester Street (1975) is the story of Jewish immigrants on New York City’s Lower East Side in the late 19th century. The main character, Yankel – now Americanized to Jake – has been waiting for his wife, Gitl, and son to come to America from Russia. When Gitl arrives, however, her traditional ways and slowness to assimilate cause a rift. Rated PG. |
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Immigration Battle is a two-hour documentary about America’s broken immigration system. For teens and adults. |
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See this annotated list of the 10 Most Interesting Immigration Movies of All Time. |