Goshen team wins documentary contest with film on local immigration

GOSHEN, Ind. – Four Goshen College students were named the winners in a student video documentary competition held by the Peace and Justice Journalism Program, which is funded by Plowshares. Students from Earlham College, Manchester College and Goshen College were invited to submit proposals for 30-minute documentaries.

The Goshen team consisted of senior Katrina Dyck (Thomasboro, Ill.), sophomore David Martinez (Goshen), first-year student Ben Noll (Lancaster, Pa.) and sophomore James Weber (Reading, Pa.). Their proposal for a documentary film titled “Fuerza” (which means “force” in Spanish) examines the immigrant population in the Goshen community.

As winners of the contest, the team received $5,000 towards making a feature-length documentary. The budget will be spent primarily for travel expenses to Mexico to see why many people are leaving and how they immigrate.

“It’s been a great experience learning how to budget, film and produce a complete documentary,” said Weber, “and we’re just getting started.” The film is tentatively scheduled to be released this fall.

The competition was the first sponsored by the Peace and Justice Journalism Program. More information can be found at www.goshen.edu/communication/pjj.

Read more about “Fuerza” in this July 4, 2006 article in The Truth:

“Immigration issues: Goshen College students win contest to video documentary” (free registration required)
Visit the documentary’s website and blog:
soluz.com

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a four-year residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S.News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu.