La Americana
October 2000, Cochabamba, Bolivia.
Carmen Tapia, a young single mother, faces a life-changing tragedy when her nine-year-old daughter Carla is struck and run over by a bus, leaving Carla in a wheel chair, and Carmen with insurmountable medical expenses. Unable to pay for Carla’s hospital bills and specialized care, Carmen borrows money from friends and family to keep her daughter alive. With no opportunities to earn a sufficient living to support her daughter, Carmen tries in vain to get a visa to go to the United States. As her desperation grows, Carmen decides to leave Carla behind and make the dangerous journey to the U.S. After nearly suffocating in the trunk of a sedan crossing the Mexican border, Carmen heads to New York where she can give her daughter the chance to live a life with opportunity, despite her disability.
June 2006, New York City, U.S.A.
Living and working illegally cleaning houses and stores in the U.S, Carmen earns enough to support Carla from afar. Though Carmen is able to provide for her daughter’s medical needs, Carla does not understand why she must grow up without her mother. Carmen cannot visit Carla in Bolivia, as she knows she may not be able to cross back into the United States, on which their lives would depend.
Unable to get any working papers, Carmen watches in frustration as congress defeats a bill granting amnesty to long-term undocumented immigrants. But as six years of separation approaches, so does the date at which Carmen promised her daughter they would be together again: Carla’s quiceañera. After risking her life to come to the United States, Carmen must sacrifice everything once again to keep her word and be at her daughter’s side.
La Americana is Carmen’s story, and the story of thousands of illegal immigrants forced to leave their families behind in order to provide them a better life.
The Filmmakers
Nicholas Bruckman: Writer/Director/Producer
Nicholas Bruckman has worked on independent, corporate, and non-profit documentary projects in South & Central America, Asia, and the Middle East.
His independent directing work has been supported by grants from the New York State Council of the Arts and the Cinereach Foundation. He is a graduate of the State University of New York at Purchase where he was manager of the college cable television station, PurchaseTV. His thesis film, Kashmir: Voices of Occupation, earned him the statewide chancellor’s award. La Americana is his first feature film, and he is currently planning his next.
John Mattiuzzi: Writer/Editor/Director of Photography
Prior to working in film, John Mattiuzzi, a NY graffitti artist, could be found scaling building tops and cruising train yards in search of the perfect canvas. In 2005, after receiving his BFA at SUNY Purchase, John moved to Mexico for a year and volunteered as an English Professor at the Universidad Tecnologica Tula-Tepeji. In the summer of 2006, he joined the People’s Television team in Bolivia as Writer, Director of Photography, and Supervising Editor of La Americana. Recently, John’s mural “A City of Heroes” was on exhibition in “9/11: A Nation Remembers” in Philadelphia. He is the Director of Photography on the upcoming People’s Television documentary “The Grey Movie”.
Jesse Thomas: Writer/Co-Producer/Add’l Cinematography
Prior to La Americana, Jesse Thomas traveled to Kashmir with Nicholas Bruckman where he shot over 100 hours of footage in the heart of the largest military occupation on the planet. He graduated from Purchase College magna cum laude, where he studied Political Science and Economics and worked for the school’s television network, PTV. Upon graduation, Jesse co-founded People’s Television and worked for Seed Magazine developing their on-line video channel. A long time political activist, he is currently a staffer with Barack Obama’s presidential campaign.
