389 Miles: “Living the Border”

“Luis Carlos Davis is a voice you've never heard, with stories that seem incomprehensible. He has now become the first-ever filmmaker to gain the confidence of a coyote -- those faceless smugglers who charge exorbitant fees to cross people over the border into the United States, and his film is, unbeknownst to most Americans, at the heart of this immigration controversy.”

- Shirin Sadeghi, THE HUFFINGTON POST

Somewhere along the Arizona-Mexico border, in a house that is less than a mile from the fence, Chuy, a human smuggler, agreed to be a participant in 389 Miles “Living the Border”. He had two conditions: first, only the camera assistant and I would know about the interview and second, I would provide him with assurance that his face would be covered. Fortunately, I remembered my brother Armando’s Blue Demon (Mexican wrestler) Mask and quickly procured it. During the interview he talked about the life experiences which influenced him to become a human smuggler and the corruption on both sides of the border. Finally, he described how he had witnessed as a young boy playing in his neighborhood right next to the border fence, a mother losing her fetus as she jumped from the top and her husband missed catching her. That is one of the reasons why he will never smuggle children into the U.S. When the interview ended, Chuy got up, said good-bye and left. To this day, I have never seen Chuy or my brother’s Blue Demon mask.

- Luis Carlos Davis, Director

389 Miles “Living the Border” is a great and successful effort to capture the diverse and complex nature of the migration issue along the US-Mexico border. Its multilayered approach makes it a unique and valuable document.

- Raúl López Echeverría, Director of Centro Superior de Producción Cinematográfica

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