A short documentary film, American, by members of the Stanford Law and Visual Media Project (SLVMP) was chosen as an official selection for the 2013 Chicago International Social Change Film Festival, held in September. Produced and directed by Tiffany Yang, JD ’15, and Jennifer Gonzalez, JD ’13, the 12-minute film shares the stories of four DREAMers, undocumented youth who immigrated to the United States as children. It outlines their struggles to shape their identity and traces the legislative and legal obstacles that burden their pursuit of citizenship. A trailer for the film can be viewed here. By highlighting these narratives, the documentary stresses the advocacy still needed to inspire immigration reform.

SLVMP, started in 2009, is a student-run alternative law journal that encourages the integration of visual media with the study and practice of law, public policy, and advocacy. The project first focused on the production of documentary video as a way to explore and understand the human impact of law. SLVMP continues to support student video projects and has expanded its efforts to use other media, such as photography and 
visual information design, to improve advocacy and 
increase access to justice. SL