LIFE AT THE BORDER
Marin filmmakers document migrant caravan in Mexico
Two years ago, Ian Gomez Duncanson and Ethan Swope— both 16 at the time — crossed the Mexican border to capture stories from the frontlines of the Central American migrant camps in Tijuana.
What they found was a state in turbulence: The refugees who fled from violence in Honduras, El Salvador and neighboring countries to seek asylum in the United States were met by police in riot gear and protests from Mexican nationalists who said undocumented immigration is ruining the economy.
The story, told in the 11- minute documentary
“Migrantes: El Odisea Nortéamericana,” will be presented at the Mill Valley Film Festival as part of its youth filmmaker shorts showcase. The festival opens online Friday and runs through Oct. 18.
Duncanson said there is a faction of Mexicans who support President Donald Trump and his administration’s policies on immigration.
“There is a real, complete split in the opinions in Mexico regarding migrants,” he said. “This is an underreported part of the story that we’ve captured and hope will inspire others to actually tell a deeper story.”
Swope added that their goal was to “show the humanity” behind the controversy.
“It’s to put a human face to the problem, and that story really came together when we were editing,” Swope said.
The whole experience happened quickly, they said.
At the time, Swope, a Sausalito resident, and Duncanson,
who is from Mill Valley, were journalism students and staffmembers of Tamalpais High School’s newspaper, the Tam News. Swope was a photojournalist and videographer and Duncanson was a writer, editor and videographer.
When immigration became a hot-button issue, Swope said, he saw an opportunity he wanted to seize.
With a day’s notice, Swope invited Duncanson to meet him and his father, David Swope, in Tijuana, where he planned to work on a piece about the caravan for the school newspaper.
Duncanson previously lived in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, with his family and speaks Spanish, which made him the ideal teammate, Swope said.
Duncanson, also being the son of journalist parents — Jon Duncanson, a former war correspondent and television anchor, and Sylvia Gomez Duncanson, a reporter and anchor — got his father on board to chaperone on the mission.
“I thought it would be an interesting bonding experience with my son,” said Jon Duncanson.
“It’s amazing what these two young men can do,” he said. “They astound me, with their level of maturity and sophistication at the ages they are.”
David Swope said he’s played the role of chaperone and chauffeur on several of his son’s photo assignments, and that it has been fun experiencing news events first hand.
“Ethan always has had no fear: He’s a journalist
first,” David Swope said, adding that his son does carry protective gear such as masks and helmets when he’s covering fires and protests. “He’s always safe, but he wants to be there where the story is.”
“I’m thrilled for them,” he said.
The trip lasted only three days, but it was full of poignant moments as it became a journey of self- discovery for the two teens, they said.
Therewas a theme among the refugees they interviewed: Men, women and children were escaping from violence and death threats made by the gang MS-13.
They visited the wall between Mexico and the United States on a beach in Tijuana. There they saw a small footprint placed in the sand of the U. S. side with tracks that led back between the bars of the wall.
“At that moment, I realized that probably could have been the closest that child got to U. S.,” Swope said.
While on the beach, they saw people attempting to climb the wall. Duncanson gave it a try and was able to reach the top. He sat there and reflected on the fact that he was between two worlds.
“If I had climbed down the American side, yeah, it would have been an issue, but it would have been resolved because I am a citizen,” he said. “If it was someone else, the outcome wouldn’t be the same. And that’s me realizing my privilege. Me being on that wall is a message, in my opinion.”
Swope and Duncanson graduated from Tam High this past spring.
Swope has stayed in Marin and is working as a freelance photographer covering the wildfires, protests and other happenings in the Bay Area. His work has appeared in the Independent
Journal, the New York Times and other publications.
He plans to study cinematography and to continue working as a photojournalist, aiming to cover one big news event at a time.
“Since I became a photojournalist, I knew I wanted to produce work at a very high level,” he said.
Duncanson moved to Washington, D.C., to study international relations and marketing at George Washington University. He said he can see himself being a career journalist, but he hasn’t committed to the field, quite yet.
“The biggest thing is, I want to somehow be part of the way the world works, specifically the conversation with immigration,” he said. “I want to be a part of educating people, be a part of making society better, of making the country better.”
Jonah Steinhart, the former Tam High newspaper adviser, said, “Ian and Ethan are examples of two students who make me want to come back and teach every year. I’m proud of them.”
The film was selected to be featured in the Mill Valley festival from a pool of more than 200 youth-produced shorts, said Joanne Parsont, director of education at the California Film Institute, the nonprofit that produces the event.
Festival details are online at bit.ly/2SKrrQ1.