UH Presents Award-Winning Film, 'La Jaula de Oro' (The Golden Dream)

HOUSTON - Sept. 24, 2014 - PRLog -- The University of Houston (UH) will present the award-winning movie, “La Jaula de Oro” (The Golden Dream) followed by a panel discussion at 4 p.m., Wednesday, Oct 1, in the University Center Theater.  Both events are free and open to the public.

“La Jaula de Oro,” winner of nine Ariel Awards, the Mexican equivalent of the Oscars, three awards at the Cannes Film Festival and 78 international film festival awards, is a fictional account of juveniles making the trip from Central America to the U.S. border.

“The theme of unaccompanied children traveling to the U.S. from Central America is a very relevant issue in the U.S. today, especially in Texas,” said Susan Scarrow, professor and chair of the political science department at UH. “The film was so well-received around the world because the concerns of immigration and struggle resound in many countries. These issues are important to our students too, and are discussed in a wide range of courses on our campus.”

Panelists include:

Moderator Jason Casellas is an associate professor in the political science department at UH. He specializes in American politics, with specific research in Latino politics, legislative politics and state and local politics. He is the author of, “Latino Representation in State Houses and Congress.” He is a member of the Texas Advisory Committee of the United States Commission on Civil rights.

Luis L. Salinas is the film producer of “La Jaula de Oro,” winner of nine Ariel Awards, the Mexican equivalent of the Oscars, three awards at the Cannes Film Festival and 78 international film festival awards. Salinas is the son of UH lecturer of sociology Luis Salinas and spent his early years in Houston attending local elementary schools and playing on the UH campus. The rest of his schooling was in Mexico City. He has produced 12 movies and is currently working on his next film.

Lorenzo Cano is an associate director of the Center for Mexican American Studies at UH, where he has taught for more than 30 years. He has extensive knowledge in the area of Mexican American affairs with a special interest in the Mexican American urban community, immigration, and U.S.-Mexico relations.

Cynthia Colbert is CEO at Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, which works in solidarity with migrants and newcomers to develop a comprehensive solution that creates immigrant policies that work for all people.

Sandra Guerra Thompson is the UH Law Foundation Professor and director of the Criminal Justice Institute at the UH Law Center. She has authored numerous articles on criminal law topics such as eyewitness identification and wrongful conviction, immigration crimes, jury discrimination, police interrogations, federal sentencing and asset forfeiture.

WHAT:
“Unaccompanied Child Immigrants: Perspectives on the Recent Surge” – “La Jaula de Oro” screening and panel discussion. Both events are free. The movie is in Spanish with English subtitles.


WHEN:
Oct. 1, 4 p.m. (film screening), 6 p.m. (panel discussion)

WHO:
The event is sponsored by UH’s College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences,
political science department, sociology, communications, the Center for Mexican
American Studies, Center for the Study of the Americas, Center for International and Comparative Studies and the El Paso Corporation Lecture Series.

WHERE:
UH University Center Theater, Entrance 1 off Calhoun.
For directions and parking information, visit http://www.uh.edu/uc/about_us/directions.html

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About the University of Houston

The University of Houston is a Carnegie-designated Tier One public research university recognized by The Princeton Review as one of the nation's best colleges for undergraduate education. UH serves the globally competitive Houston and Gulf Coast Region by providing world-class faculty, experiential learning and strategic industry partnerships. Located in the nation's fourth-largest city, UH serves more than 40,900 students in the most ethnically and culturally diverse region in the country.