Tiffinbox

Inspiring Photographers

Our Independent Lenses

by

Via Monica Mehta

I have another rare TV viewing recommendation for everyone – something that moved Anand and I very deeply, and something you all should check out if you get a chance.

It's called The New Americans, an Independent Lens documentary series that follows four years in the lives of seven new immigrant families as they leave their homelands and settle in an alien land.

As Palestinian Naima leaves her war-torn home to marry a Palestinian-American, Nigerian refugee Israel flees Africa to find freedom, and Ricardo leaves the Dominican Republic to become a baseball player, each finds a major disconnect between what they thought they would find liberty, riches, and peace and what they must face racism, hard work and loneliness.

The second and third episodes follow an Indian hi-tech professional and his new wife as they come in on H-1B status, and a Mexican family that broke our hearts. But the filmmakers ultimately deliver a message of hope in this moving and intimate portrayal of migration.

It runs three nights starting March 29 at 9pm on PBS, concludes March 31 (check local listings). You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you won't look at the people around you the same way again.

Seshu | Editor & Publisher

Seshu | Editor & Publisher

Seshu is an Avon, Connecticut based headshot photographer and family portrait photographer. He edits and publishes Tiffinbox and produces Tiffincast for photographers like you!