Nick Alexander’s debut documentary feature “Illegal” tells the miraculous journey of one immigrant’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 worse 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.
By Amanda Lou for Winter Film Awards
See the World Premiere of “Illegal” on Saturday Feb 23 @1:00pm at Cinema Village (22 East 12th Street) as part of New York City’s 9th Annual Winter Film Awards International Film Festival.
First-time filmmaker Nick Alexander was faced with many challenges from start to finish; the film required lots of time and meticulous thinking. His greatest challenge was filming Laz’s story in El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico and Southern California in the span of just 10 days. Alexander says, “The job of digesting data, backing up files, charging batteries on the go, capturing impromptu interviews were just the tip of the filmmaking ice-burg. Nonetheless, I believe that this greatest challenge was achieved because my team and I faced the matter head-on. We all worked together to have successful film shoots each day which led to a successful movie in the long run.”
Nevertheless, Alexander was thrilled with the amount of support he received from Laz’s community in El Salvador. He says, “Everyone helped out when they could, even if that was driving us down the road or pointing us in the right direction for charging our gear. Another cool thing was capturing aerial shots in El Salvador, since it’s such a beautiful country. The craziest thing was filming the caravan in Tijuana, Mexico. It was a little scary, to be honest, with all the chaos around us, especially since we were all holding thousands of dollars of film gear. It was a tough filming day but turned out to be one of the best based on the stories we captured live and so authentic”.
What compelled you to make “Illegal” your first film?
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, an immigrant from El Salvador. We met at the Southern Oregon Rotary Club where I was hired to film Laz’s speech. 30-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 finished editing the movie, I realized 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 want to share the story of Laz Ayala with the world.
Therefore, there were several factors that compelled me to make my first film. First, I was searching for my first big film project and little did I know it was coming quicker than I anticipated. Second, Laz’s story was so inspirational and potentially a narrative that could impact the current discussion of immigration that I knew that I wanted to direct and create this film.
Why was it important for you to tell Laz’s story?
Laz’s story is important for me to tell because it is seldomly told. The immigrant’s story of rags to riches is told once in a while, but their perspective on fixing the broken immigration policies is not. I believe filmmaking is a powerful medium in which Laz can share his story and solutions for immigration, reaching huge audiences.
Did you have a preferred way of shooting the film?
Yes. While we filmed in El Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico, I wanted Laz to have the freedom to walk, talk and wander. We would be flies on the wall. While we were in his hometown he would talk with relatives, friends and alike and we would record him while he told a story or talked about the civil war or even a childhood memory. The organizational me wanted a more orderly approach to the film trip, but I learned that Laz knew his home best. I learned to trust him. This is not to say that we did not have a script and a daily shoot plan, but we let the story tell itself. In the back of my head and on paper, Laz and I had constructed a storyline, plot and chapters, but I learned to be open to exploration and creativity.
What is the biggest takeaway you hope someone has from watching your documentary?
The biggest takeaway I hope someone has from watching my documentary would be an impact on their heart and afterwards, their mind. I want the viewer to know Laz, to understand his origins, his family, and his culture. It is a matter of the heart and putting themselves in his shoes. Before they even think about him being an undocumented immigrant, I want the viewer to see where Laz once lived and the hell he went through as a little boy in El Salvador. After that, I hope the viewer understands that Laz is like many other immigrants, ready to work hard, contribute to the United States and reciprocally give back to the community. There are a lot of people just like him, but the stories are hidden and have not been told — yet. The other takeaway is about their mind and their outlook on immigration.
I strongly hope that by the end of the movie, Laz’s solution about undocumented immigration would make sense to the viewer and cause discussion that eventually would lead to legislation change.
Amanda Lou
Amanda Lou is a Fairleigh Dickinson University graduate with a passion for cinema & marketing.
About Winter Film Awards
New York City’s 9th Annual Winter Film Awards International Film Festival runs February 20-29 2020. Check out a jam-packed lineup of 79 fantastic films in all genres from 27 countries, including shorts, features, Animation, Drama, Comedy, Thriller, Horror, Documentary and Music Video. Hollywood might ignore women and people of color, but Winter Film Awards celebrates everyone!
Winter Film Awards is an all volunteer, minority- and women-owned registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded in 2011 in New York City by a group of filmmakers and enthusiasts. The program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and the NY State Council on the Arts.
