NEWPORT – On the heels of Gov. Donald Carcieri’s March 27 Executive Order to crack down on illegal immigration in the state, award-winning Latino filmmaker John Carlos Frey will talk about the issue and screen his movie, “The Invisible Chapel,” at Salve Regina University on Friday, April 11.
A Mexican native who grew up in an affluent, white San Diego community just 300 yards from the border fence separating the two countries, Frey’s work chronicles the “untold” struggle of Latino immigrants.
"The Invisible Chapel" documents the 20-year history of a migrant chapel, capturing the enduring story of faith and perseverance against the immigration debate. It tells the story of the men who worshiped at a small chapel in the woods, and of the protests led by a nearby community that led to the chapel’s destruction.
Frey, who is considered an advocate for the underserved in America, is currently in discussion with HBO Films to direct a series of documentaries on the Latino experience in the United States. He was born in Mexico but grew up in a white community in southern California. He attended a private Catholic elementary school, a private Catholic high school and a private Catholic university whose student body was predominantly affluent.
“When I was younger, it would not be uncommon for me to get up in the morning and find a migrant family asleep under our cars if it was raining outside,” he told Catholic Digest, adding that he wanted to get into the media after “seeing how immigrants, especially undocumented immigrants, are being portrayed by the media in a predominantly negative stereotype or criminal point of view. I know these people. I know them to be generous. I know them to be kind. I know that they are coming from very desperate circumstances that we, as Americans, usually do not understand. And that’s not typically part of the story.”
The actor and director will present his film at 6:30 p.m. at Bazarsky Lecture Hall, located in O’Hare Academic Center on Ochre Point Avenue. The event, part of Salve Regina’s 60th Anniversary Lecture Series, is free and open to the public.
