THE GOOD IMMIGRANT
The Good Immigrant is about formerly incarcerated Southeast Asian refugees who are fighting to stay in the United States, the only country they’ve ever known. The documentary aims to showcase the complex ways that Southeast Asian refugees become entangled in the deportation system because of old criminal convictions from their youths - resulting in painful separation of families.
THE ISSUE
After the U.S. occupied Southeast Asia, over 1 million refugees arrived to America fleeing war and genocide. Many Cambodians resettled in impoverished American neighborhoods –– some joined gangs to survive and committed crimes in their youth. Today, more than 2.7 million Southeast Asian Americans live in the United States. In the past two decades, over 16,000 have received final orders of deportation and 80% of the cases are based on old criminal records. Under the Trump presidency, deportations such as these are on the rise: refugees are deported on a monthly basis and families are torn apart.
Our film challenges people’s perspective on formerly incarcerated people and highlights unique challenges that face underreported Southeast Asian communities. It hopes to ask the question, what does it mean to be a good immigrant?
A Preview of Our Film
Support Us
We’re currently working on raising more funds to continue work on this project. Support us by signing up for our Newsletter and consider donating to our film here.
If you have an non-profit organization or know people who’d like to help, please contact us at goodimmigrantproject@gmail.com
If you have an non-profit organization or know people who’d like to help, please contact us at goodimmigrantproject@gmail.com
PRESS
Press about our documentary with NBC Bay Area
Interview with our Directors J.P. Dobrin and Stephanie Tangkilisan
Interview with our Producer Cecilia Lei and immigration lawyer Anoop Prasad
A sample of our documentary as seen on NBC Bay Area
Our Team
Stephanie Tangkilisan
Co-Director
Stephanie Tangkilisan is an award-winning filmmaker born and raised in Jakarta, Indonesia. She’s a graduate of Columbia Journalism School’s documentary program during which time the first film she directed, received a $50,000 Criminal Justice Grant from Vital Projects Fund. The film was distributed by The Intercept and First Look Media, and earned acceptances from 7+ film festivals. She recently finished working on a documentary series for Vice News.
J.P. Dobrin
Co-Director
J.P. Dobrin is a multiracial documentary filmmaker and photographer based in Oakland, California. His visual work has been commissioned by the New York Times, PBS Frontline, Washington Post, KQED and the International Rescue Committee. His most recent documentary "Irse - Leaving Venezuela" premiered in June 2020 on Al Jazeera Witness.
Cecilia Lei
Producer
Cecilia Lei is a freelance multimedia reporter and producer focused on immigration and criminal justice stories. She currently works with KQED News and Vox's ‘Today, Explained’ daily news podcast. Based in Oakland, California, she is a graduate of UC Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism and is a board member of the Asian American Journalists Association San Francisco Bay Area chapter.
Get In Touch!
Thank you!