In the sticky-hot early fall, my grandmother would make us blackberry jam. Peak August would give way to early September, and we’d cross the dry yellow grass to the thicket of blackberries at the far end of the yard. My grandpa, Agha, admired his Douglas Firs lining the back fence – planted in the same year I was born, and now double my height at eight years old. We reached our arms between the thorns and dropped the berries into the large bowls we kept at our feet.

e are grieving so many things–all of them interconnected. Just as the climate crisis seemed to eclipse our view on the West Coast, the loss of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the unconscionable forced sterilizations of immigrant women in ICE detention facilities remind us of how far we have to go in the fight for reproductive justice, gender equity, and basic dignity.

In a recent article reviewing the 2020 Human Rights Watch Film Festival, film critic and blogger Louis Proyect reviewed our documentary, From Here, celebrating its compelling storytelling and its deep exploration of the immigrant experience.

In a recent interview with Women and Hollywood, director Christina Antonakos-Wallace shared the journey of making From Here, a documentary that follows four young artists and activists—Tania, Sonny, Miman, and Akim—as they navigate identity, belonging, and immigration in the U.S. and Germany. The film spans more than a decade, capturing not only their personal milestones but also political shifts that have reshaped immigration policies.

In this hopeful moment of global uprising against anti-Black racism and for human dignity at large, it gives me tremendous joy to announce that FROM HERE premieres  today! The film is viewable from June 11-20th as part of the Human Rights Watch Film Festival NY Digital Edition with a live Q&A on June 14th at 8pm EST.

The team of From Here & With Wings and Roots are reeling from the murders of George Floyd, Nina Pop, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, and countless others. In the midst of urgent uprisings in defense of Black lives and a pandemic which lays many of the indignities of systemic racism bare, we are called to move towards a different future. 

2020 Human Rights Watch Film Festival Announces Lineup

We are so excited to announce that our film FROM HERE (formerly With Wings and Roots) will have it’s online premiere June 11-20th at the Human Rights Watch Film Festival - New York.

We are thrilled to share From Here’s United States premiere will be with the the Human Rights Watch Film Festival, which has pivoted form an in-person to virtual festival. The 2020 Human Rights Watch Film Festival has gone digital, offering a nationwide audience the chance to experience its powerful slate of films.

Dear Friends, We hope this message finds you healthy, and doing all you can to reduce the spread of the Coronavirus. First off –thank you...

We are overjoyed to finally be able to share the good news that our film From Here will premiere in London 3/13, 3/17, 3/18

We are overjoyed to finally be able to share the good news that our film From Here (formerly titled With Wings & Roots) has been selected for the London Human Rights Watch Film Festival. 

First and foremost, I can’t thank you enough for your support over the last decade as the team and I have journeyed to reimagine belonging through the stories told in With Wings and Roots.

I owe you an update about With Wings and Roots. There is good news to share. But right now I am compelled to write you for another reason: to ask you to demand that families are reunited by joining an action on June 30th at one of +600 events across the U.S.

We recently returned from editing in Puerto Rico, and are headed to Los Angeles for a roughcut screening tonight the International Documentary Association's DocuClub Series.

What does it mean to be American or German, and more than that? Who has the right to citizenship, and who is perceived to belong? How can we re-imagine belonging to reflect our global realities? These are questions we have been asking for many years, but they have revealed themselves to be more urgent than ever as nationalist politics have ravaged both the US and Europe.

I hope this message finds you well! I am writing to let you know about a youth media workshop that With Wings and Roots is offering this coming Saturday in the Seattle area in partnership with Young Women Empowered. We would very much appreciate your support in spreading the word with young people or adults who work with youth! 

We hope that 2016 is already well on its way to being a great year for you. It is going to be a very big one for With Wings and Roots. The New York team will start it off  a community building celebration on March 5th at Mayday Space in Brooklyn from 6–9pm, as well as a youth workshop earlier that day. We hope to see you on the dance floor if you are in New York City! Please RSVP and help us spread the word. 

With WINGS and ROOTS invites community members to join us for the U.S. launch of our website, REIMAGINE BELONGING, at the New School University Center (65 5th Ave, NYC) on Saturday, September 19th at 5:30 pm. RSVP here!

With several very eventful months behind us, we would love to share some updates and ask you to SAVE THE DATE for the launch of our interactive website, ReimagineBelonging.org, in New York on Saturday, September 19th.