Workshops
Imaginary Lines begins with real-life storytelling about experiences that are simultaneously singular (the individual journey) and universal (the fears and hopes that drive migration). At a historical and political moment where immigration narratives are driven by political demagoguery and mainstream media’s reductive immigration reporting our hope is to use image-making technology to immerse viewers in essentially Human stories that would otherwise remain unheard.
The storytelling process arises from a collaboration with immigrant community members (Philadelphia and Baltimore), shared through conversations during a series of writing workshops. Paying homage to Jorge Luis Borges’s short story Las Ruinas Circulares (1940), the project relays immigrants’ stories of resilience, dreams, meaning, and identity. Participants explore their own border-crossing experiences through documentary and fictional renditions. These writings are brought together, creating a new tale, a people’s journey through migration. This narrative text is showcased within the film, animated across the border wall while a synced monologue narrates in Spanish with English subtitles.