LEWISTON (Maine) SUN JOURNAL

March 13, 2007

Film to detail life of migrant farm workers' child

LEWISTON - A documentary detailing the moving struggles of a 13-year-old daughter of migrant farm workers will be shown here at the end of March.

The screening of "Escuela" is sponsored by the Maine Migrant Health Program in observance of National Farmworker Awareness Week. The movie will be shown Monday, March 26, at Bates College.

Made by Hannah Weyer in 2002, it highlights the challenges facing the children of American migrant farm workers.

Liliana Luis, though in many ways a typical American teenager, has a unique struggle as her family travels between Texas and California annually to work the fields. While her family roots for her success at school, Liliana's education and social life are disrupted as she switches from one school to another, adjusting to new classes and new friends. The film offers an intimate portrait of a farm worker child and her family's pursuit of the American dream.

National Farmworker Awareness Week, which runs March 25 to 31, coincides with the birthday of farm worker activist Cesar Chavez.

It is estimated that there are 12,000 to 15,000 migrant and seasonal farm workers and their family members in Maine. Migrant farm workers come to Maine each season to provide labor to the state's agricultural and forestry industries. They travel from Mexico, Canada, Jamaica, Haiti and Central America.