Agricultural Film & Book Event

September 23rd, 2010

The Geneva Area Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with Geneva Community Health will be hosting a film and book event for the curious consumers in the Finger Lakes. This event will be held on October 14, 2010 at 7pm at the NYS Agricultural Experiment Station, 630 West North Street (Jordan Hall), Geneva.

The event will include viewing a 55-minute documentary, "The Other Side of Immigration", which was filmed, edited, directed and produced by Roy Germano. This film sparks a more objective and creative conversation about immigration reform and America's responsibilities to Mexico. Germano interviewed more than 700 families left behind by U.S.-bound migrant workers and exposed Mexico's most crippling economic hardships including the effects NAFTA has on poor farmers, the country's vicious cycle of poverty spurred by a corrupt government, and the social pressures on Mexicans to seek a better way of life.

"I hope those who see my film walk away feeling more connected to a population that they may have misunderstood or not known very much about, realizing that most people-Mexican or American, citizen or immigrant-are more similar than we are different, motivated to survive, take care of our families and be recognized for our inherent worth as human beings," Germano said.

The event will also consist of a book signing by Tom Rivers, the author of Farm Hands: Hard work and hard lessons from Western New York fields. The book covers the challenges of producing food and the hard work needed to harvest fruits and vegetables.

This event is free and all are welcome to participate in an exclusive Q&A session with the film's director immediately following the film. Local food and wine will be provided at a preshow reception. For more information call (315) 531-9102.