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Golden Venture

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The film chronicles the ongoing struggles of passengers who were aboard the Golden Venture, an immigrant smuggling ship that grounded near New York City in 1993. Passengers had paid at least $30,000 to be brought to the U.S. from China's Fujian Province, expecting to arrive indebted but unnoticed. But a seemingly golden opportunity quickly evolved into a controversial encounter with the Clinton Administration's new get-tough policies on asylum seekers.

The Golden Venture crash fed a media circus and became a symbol of a growing national concern over illegal immigration. Many passengers were deported over a two-year period, while others were detained for up to four years.

Golden Venture is a global epic, a story of stoic perseverance and unexpected grace, played out in the shadow of national politics.  The film tells the story of immigrants who defied death to get here and of the small town lawyers who heroically rose to their defense.   The multi-layered narrative also explores the culture of China's Fujian province, provides a case study in cross-ideological community organizing, and examines the role art can play in the struggle for human rights.

At a time when the immigration issue has led to furious debate and high stakes political maneuvering, the fate of the Golden Venture passengers is more relevant than ever.
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Streaming - 5 Years, Institutional (Education / Nonprofit) $ 295.00

License Period:  5 years
Running Time:  1:09:51
Video Encoding:  Medium to High Resolution


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Streaming - 14 Days, In-Class Use $ 60.00

License Period:  14 days (beginning at time of purchase)
Running Time:  1:09:51
Video Encoding:  Medium to High Resolution
Streaming - 21 days, Individual Use Only $ 4.99

License Period:  21 days (beginning at time of purchase)
Running Time:  1:09:51
Video Encoding:  Low to Medium Resolution

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"We feel for these immigrants, we want them to stay and find satisfying lives here,
but we also see the concerns inherent in illegal immigration. Highly recommended,
especially for educational purposes."
Library Journal

"A compelling and timely portrait of human courage, resilience, and compassion,
set against a backdrop of bigotry, fear, and political infighting, this is recommended."
Video Librarian

"Classes studying the ongoing question of immigration would greatly benefit from the
unique perspective provided in the film."
School Library Journal

"Golden Venture is a documentary that is despairing and at the same time is hopeful;
it informs and also inquires, leaving viewers with so much to ponder that finding a starting point for discussion is difficult. It is a film that requires setting aside not only the time to see it, but also a few hours afterward to think about it."
Cinematical

"A compelling story. It’s recommended as a purchase for all collections."
Educational Media Reviews Online

""Golden Venture" is a thoughtful and beautifully made film that both informs and makes us think. It provides a balanced and penetrating view of the complex stories of Chinese migration and the politics of U.S. Immigration policies that is invaluable for discussions in college-level classes in anthropology, history, migration studies, political science and sociology."
Asian Educational Media Service

Peter Cohn Peter Cohn is a New York film maker and writer. He makes social issue documentary films, looking for stories that explore such social and political issues as US immigration policy, domestic violence, and most recently the situation in Israel and the West Bank. Cohn also creates large scale web based resources to supplement his films, offering a wide array of videos and other materials that allow interested users to deeply explore the topics of his films.  Cohn has been a member of New Day since 2007, and has distributed his films widely to universities and community organizations. Cohn's modest recently completed film. "Power and Control: Domestic Violence in America," premiered in April, 2010 at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival. His previous film, "Golden Venture," a documentary about the US immigration crisis,has been added to the collections of more than 600 universities, colleges and high schools. His first film (available from New Day, fall, 2011) "Drunks," was released in 1997. It premiered at Sundance and won the entertainment industry's Prism award for its realistic depiction of alcoholism and substance abuse.

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