Press Archive Search Classroom On Air Film News Contribute



        
High School Program    |    2003-2004 Video Catalog

About HSP | How To Participate | Video Catalog | Feedback | Contact Us | Home
My American Girls
 
Directed By: Aaron Matthews
Produced In: USA, 2000
Running Time: 62 minutes
Genre: Documentary
Language: English and Spanish with English Subtitles
Themes: Cultural Identity: Latino, Dominican Republic, Immigration
Distributor: Filmakers Library
Synopsis:
A film which chronicles the everyday troubles and triumphs of the Ortiz family - a Dominican immigrant family residing in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Mayra, Aida, and Monica are three daughters, each traveling down different roads in this country. Over the course of a year and a half, Sandra - their mother - struggles to keep Mayra, the self-proclaimed "ghetto kid," in school and on the right track. At the same time, Monica, an Ivy League scholar and athlete, pursues her dream of becoming an actor and grapples with the reality of growing farther away from her family. Aida, the "typical middle child," tries to find her way between the world of the street and middle class American values. An intimate portrait of an extraordinary family, MY AMERICAN GIRLS portrays the hopes and frustrations of the Ortiz family - five Dominicans dealing with the benefits and the drawbacks of coming to America.
Links:
Back to Film List
HRW Logo

Home | About Us | News Releases | Publications | About HRW | Info by Country | Global Issues | Campaigns | What You Can Do | Community | Bookstore | Film Festival | Search | Site Map | Contact Us | Press Contacts | Privacy Policy

© Copyright 2004, Human Rights Watch    350 Fifth Avenue, 34th Floor    New York, NY 10118-3299    USA