Allison Ramirez and Jocelyn Courtney were each awarded Fulbright grants to study migration and the impact of war and violence on Salvadoran society, respectively. Beginning in November of 2007, they embarked on this initiative - filming, editing, and producing a nintey minute documentary - as a means of communicating their research to a wider audience, building upon the connections between their individual projects.
Completed in July 2008, the documentary "The Safety Valve: Understanding Contemporary Salvadoran Society," is the result of more than 30 hours of filming, including interviews with Salvadorans from all sectors of society and with several international experts. It is an attempt to explore the past, present, and future of Salvadoran society, documenting the way in which social violence and migration have become mechanisms of escape for those that are pushed out by society and denied the right to a dignified life.
What the filmmakers found most fascination and disturbing about the problems facing El Salvador was the manner in which the United States has been intricately involved in Salvadoran society over the past 30 years. Perhaps unbeknownst to a U.S. audience, the U.S. government's policies have translated into life or death for many Salvadorans. In an effort to raise awareness about these issues in both countries, the documentary has been made accessible to both Spanish and English speaking audiences.
The sincere hope behind this project is that you watch the documentary, share it with whomever possible, and learn from it. If one particular story or issue does interest you, included on this website is a list of organizations in El Salvador featured in the video, all of which are doing incredible work to address the causes of migration and social violence, as well as the problems that they generate. Some accept volunteers, most all could use donations.
If you are interested in a presentation by the filmmakers about the material in the documentary, they would be more than happy to organize something that will suit your needs. The best way to contact them is by email, at allison.ramirez@gmail.com, or jocelyncourtney@gmail.com.
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