Documentary filmmaker Vidyut Latay has directed and produced Alien: American Dream Denied, a 90-minute documentary spotlighting the emotional journey of five high-skilled, documented Indian immigrants and their families seeking permanent residency in the US. (Also Read: Interview | Grand Theft Hamlet directors Pinny Grylls and Sam Crane on staging Hamlet within the video game)
The documentary is also the producer/director’s personal story with first-hand experience of the complications of maneuvering the US Immigration System. Latay, who is now a US Citizen, came to the US in 2006. She and her husband, Ram Iyer, have lived in the US on varied visas like the H-4, H-1B, F-1, and O-1.
The documentary exposes the human toll of America’s dependence on high-skilled, legal immigrants and how the Indian immigrant community bears the heaviest burden. Vidyut gave an exclusive interview from her home in Connecticut (near New York):
When did you start working on the documentary?
In 2017 is the first time a couple of stories were shot and then in 2023, we released the film. Now it is available on many streaming platforms. It is on PBS and its member stations too.
What was the most difficult part of making this documentary?
The biggest hurdle was convincing people to talk in front of the camera. In written articles, you can sometimes change the names and hide real identities-which is great and that’s how most stories come to us. But when it comes to audio visual mediums, there are limitations. That was the biggest thing because there is social stigma, a taboo, a lot of hesitation. People are worried that if they speak up, what will happen. But now, as an American, and even when I was an immigrant, not a citizen, I knew that this country provides you with that absolute democratic right of freedom of speech. All the five families that are there in my film, I call them brave hearts. The film is because of them, because they have poured their hearts out.
Another challenge was to juxtapose human emotions with the statistical information about all these immigrant terminologies that we use as potatoes and onions—it’s a part of our common parlance. For any common American who doesn’t know what exactly it is, I did not want to alienate them from this topic just because they don’t know what a H1B or a H4 Visa is. I had to make it an inclusive experience.
I wanted this to be an emotional, human impact story, not about political issues, like I didn’t want any political bickering or about any expert talking. This is about what it takes to be a highly skilled immigrant and showing the emotional side of it because I really wanted to put a face on those statistics, because I do believe in the power of emotions. The North Star for the film is to show what exactly the broken immigration system is doing to human beings.
What motivated you to make a documentary on legal highly skilled immigrants?
The biggest mission that I had to make this film was to spread awareness. The place where I live is like a melting pot of immigrants, in a radius of .1 mile in a predominantly white town. What I realised is that nobody was really aware about the immigration issues like aging out of kids when they turn 21 if the parents don’t have green cards. It’s mind boggling for them that the children of parents who are doctors doing great service for the community will have to be deported. It’s one of the stories highlighted in the documentary. Similarly, what is happening to entrepreneurs, scientists and clinical psychologists who really wanted to do good during the pandemic, but did not get their visa renewed in time and had to stop working. During the pandemic, depression and anxiety were the second pandemic. A psychologist that I interviewed for the documentary said that during that critical time, she had to stop working and really navigate all her patients to other psychologists and counselors. She was devastated.
How is it being an independent director/producer?
It was quite a struggle. Alien is an independent film, completely self funded by my husband and me. We were really committed to the project, because, having gone through our own immigration struggles, seeing our very close friends and relatives-almost every immigrant who comes here, regardless of nationality has a story to tell.
As an independent filmmaker, not having any studio backing, or any angel funding, you are really supporting your project. You’re literally excavating this whole system on your own. So it is quite a task, but I’m happy that it has got on some really credible platforms with support from incredible people . The biggest thing is that people all around the world can watch it. I am going full throttle on the promotion and marketing of the film, because I really feel making the film is like the product is ready. I’m really blessed, privileged, very happy that that nugget we could solve.
Why did it take so long?
We did go through a lot of funding hurdles, and the pandemic happened. The movie had to take a back seat. We moved from California to the east coast and I pivoted to working in tech so that I could support this film. I really wanted to complete the film and not keep it languishing for 10 -15 years just waiting for funding to come. I didn’t want to wait because I knew the struggles and suffering of people were too enormous. I felt very compelled that this story has to come out. I used to get very impatient in between. But, I was really committed to completing the project. Independent filmmakers are very well-intentioned. They really want to make a difference, make meaningful projects, especially documentarians, but they lack funding.
How has the reaction been to your documentary?
Alien has already played in almost 2022 stations so far, because we just started in November last year. I’m very excited because it’s a three year contract. I’m really hoping that this whole issue of high skilled legal immigrants, stories about people who come here with qualifications is highlighted. They are tax paying, law abiding residents of this country. PBS is a great platform that we’ve got. We can really penetrate the remotest of the remotest areas.
American immigration is hot everywhere, all around the world. It’s not only in America that it is talked about or discussed.
What happens when you make documentaries, especially because of the genre, and sometimes, because of the kind of movie that you make you sometimes get restricted to certain areas of the country, and understandably because it is all about economics. You also need an audience to come and watch it. But when the film is on PBS, it can reach people far and wide. The documentary is also available on Prime Video, Tubi, Apple TV, Binge TV and others. I’m really hoping it gets more and more traction in the streaming world.
Immigration is a big topic right now. Is the movie riding the wave?
The local people are also really wanting to talk about immigration. That’s what I see. The vibe that I get is that immigration has become multi fold and critical because it’s a roller coaster ride. Every day, some new thing happens and everybody’s thinking about their status. People who are currently in an immigration issue, if they’re in high school immigrant Green Card backlog, they are battling their worries day in and day out, and they have been doing it for many, many years now. But for people who are not in that status, it’s very intriguing, because this country is made up of immigrants. So everybody at least resonates with that feeling. Any company owner, even if he or she is an American citizen, also has to think about what is going to happen to their employees. So it’s not that only the cohort who is currently in that status is affected. Everybody gets affected.
You said-America allows you creative as well as democratic freedom. Do you still feel that in the current milieu ?
Yes-I believe in the principles that America’s founding fathers have laid for this country.