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| Well-Founded Fear | 
| Directors: Shari Robertson, Michael Camerini
Studio: Docurama/POV
Category: DVD
List Price: $26.95
Buy New: $17.21
You Save: $9.74 (36%)
New (16) from $17.21
Avg. Customer Rating:  1 reviews
Sales Rank: 31491
Format: Color, Dvd-video, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Running Time: 120 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: NVG-9852
UPC: 767685985236
EAN: 0767685985236
ASIN: B000KJU1I2
Theatrical Release Date: 2001
Release Date: March 27, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: BRAND NEW AND FACTORY SEALED
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Product Description
An unprecedented inside look at the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) award-winning filmmakers Shari Robertson and Michael Camerini take their cameras behind locked doors where bureaucrats decide the fates of thousands of asylum-seekers each year. To be granted asylum applicants must demonstrate a "well-founded fear" that their lives would be endangered were they to be deported. The asylum-seekers are at once hopeful and heartbreaking at times too slick and polished and in other cases painfully timid. All have the same desire--freedom to stay in America. As asylum officers struggle to determine credibility balancing sympathy with good sense and tough-mindedness their hard-made decisions ultimately hold a mirror to the broader quickly changing and controversial role of the United States in the world at large.System Requirements:Runtime: 120 minsFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DOCUMENTARIES/MISC. Rating: NR UPC: 767685985236 Manufacturer No: NVG-9852
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| Customer Reviews:
Lives in the balance - the delicate struggle to obtain a future in America September 23, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
On average, maybe one in two hundred applicants are ever admitted to the United States as a refugee. The official definition of a refugee is someone who is afraid to go home for fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, social group or political opinion. Any foreigner who finds a way into the United States may apply for refugee protection in the form of political asylum and these requests are handled by the Immigration & Naturalization Service (INS). When an asylum officer is unable to make a solid decision to grant refugee status to someone, the case is then referred to an immigration judge for final disposition. About 1 in 5 cases is ever reversed in appeal.
A significant portion of this program focuses on duties of asylum officers and for good reason. They are saddled with the tremendous responsibility of deciding what might be the fate of many people's lives. Interviews with them reveal many challenges they face such as determining honesty and credibility in applicants stories, dissecting the elements that may or may not meet the criteria for refugee status, balancing compassion with unflinching directness, and trusting the translators to deliver accurate and truthful accounts from those seeking asylum. It is not uncommon for officers to hear fabricated and rehearsed stories, inconsistencies in facts, and outright deception in testimonies by those trying to stay in America.
Several cases were examined in this program with individuals originally coming from China, Albania, Russia, El Salvador, Algeria, Romania, and Nigeria. Final analysis showed that while some of these cases were deemed genuine, others ended up as undecided or were proven false. As far as the truthful accounts went, hearing about the abuses and persecutions they endured in their home countries is both heartbreaking and distressing and clearly illustrates why they would want to stay in the United States permanently.
Closing out this documentary are some intriguing and controversial revelations that will undoubtedly cause a stir among many people. Since the filming of this program in 2000, Congress has passed legislation to reduce the number of people who can apply for asylum, to jail people who arrive at our borders requesting asylum, and to limit the right to appeal some decisions. What prompted these new measures from Congress and when they actually took hold is not mentioned in the program but one could surmise that the 9-11 terrorist attacks in New York may have been a catalyst for these actions.
I found this PBS production of `Well-Founded Fear' to be thought provoking and important on many levels. In a current climate of sensitive immigration issues in America, the subject matter here is probably just as relevant now as it was seven years ago when this program was made.
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