Filmmaker and IMA alum Nathan Fitch was recently included in two events around migrant workers and the environment.
He participated in a discussion event at NYU’s Cantor Film Center on Monday April 10th 6:30-8:30pm called Migrant Workers and Disaster Economics hosted by the Asian/Pacific/American Institute at NYU
About the event:
“This special event brings together Saket Soni, the author of the new book, The Great Escape(Algonquin Books, 2023), about trafficked Indian migrants who won a daring campaign for their rights after Hurricane Katrina; Nathan Fitch and Angela Edward, the creators of the work-in-progress film, Essential Islanders, about Micronesian laborers in Arkansas and their struggle for healthcare during the pandemic; and the A/P/A Institute’s Writer-in-Residence, E. Tammy Kim, who reports on workplace issues and is writing a manuscript about transpacific military labor. “
All info: https://apa.nyu.edu/event/migrant-workers-and-disaster-economics/
And this past March Nathan screened his thesis film, Island Soldier on March 23rd at The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa William S. Richardson School of Law’s Asian-Pacific Law and Policy Journal Symposium
The screening and Q&A kicked off the annual event which continued until March 26th. And this year’s title was “Unpacking the Compacts of Free Association,”
The symposium included panels with experts and emerging leaders on the latest pressing legal issues in climate resilience, immigration, health, and international relations. Panel discussions will explore the impact of the Compacts of Free Association (COFA) for the Pacific region and beyond; the COFA defines the relationship between the United States and the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau – collectively, the Freely Associated States (FAS). Programming will include film screenings and panel discussions.
Island Soldier started as Nathan’s IMA thesis project. The film “interweaves the personal stories of Micronesian soldiers serving in the US military and the experiences of their families back home in the islands”
More about the film and Nathan’s work : http://www.islandsoldiermovie.com | https://www.nathan-fitch.com
More about the symposium:
https://law.hawaii.edu/aplpj-holds-unpacking-the-compacts-of-free-association-symposium-march-23-26/
And on Sunday March 26th Nathan shared a works-in-progress film, Essential Islanders at the event. This new film looks at the impacts of the pandemic on migrants, many considered essential workers.
More info: bit.ly/cofaevent
