An Hour from the Middle of Nowhere

by Ole Elfenkaemper, Kathrin Seward
  • An Hour from the Middle of Nowhere
  • An Hour from the Middle of Nowhere
  • An Hour from the Middle of Nowhere

    Synopsis

    In the Deep South, the lives of an immigration attorney, a community, and a family intertwine in the shadow of one of the largest immigration detention prisons in the United States.

    The film takes us into rural Stewart County in Southwest Georgia. Tucked into the woods, lies one of the largest immigration detention facilities in the United States. Due process is hard to find in isolated areas across the country and within a radius of 140 miles there are no private immigration attorneys but Marty. Against the grain and at the age of 50, he received his law degree in 2009 which changed his life forever.
    Together with his legal assistant Alondra, Marty takes on a daily fight against the arbitrariness of the courts. In observational scenes, we experience different cases and follow the family of one of his clients on their emotional rollercoaster ride until the day of the court hearing. While Marty navigates through the inhumane machinery of the immigration detention system, a calm bittersweet atmosphere meets moments of solace.
    Filmed over five years, this intimate portrait of an immigration lawyer and his clients offers an authentic and quiet observation of the dehumanizing deportation machinery.

    Festivals

    2023
    7 RIFFA – Regina International Film Festival , Canada
    11 Aegean Docs, Greece
    2024
    14 DocUtah IDFF, USA
    Filmtage Friedrichshafen
    21 Big Sky DFF, Missoula, USA
    Gesa-Rautenberg-Preis – 28 FF Schleswig-Holstein
    5 LETsDOK

    Cast and Crew

    Director

    Ole Elfenkaemper, Kathrin Seward

    Producer

    Ole Elfenkaemper, Kathrin Seward

    Sound

    Kathrin Seward

    DoP

    Ole Elfenkaemper

    Sound Design

    Alfred Tesler

    Other

    Rita Ellis, Miles Ellis (Executive Producers), Petra Gescher (Color Grading)

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