WHICH WAY HOME

Directed by Rebecca Cammisa

LATIN United States, 2009

Length: 83 minutes
In Spanish and English with subtitles

AMERICA
THROUGH
FILM
Educator’s Guide

FILM SUMMARY

“Of the thousands of Latin American migrants

traveling through Mexico with the hope of reaching
the United States, approximately five percent are
unaccompanied children. Director Rebecca Cammisa
follows several such children on their grueling but
ever-hopeful journey north. Kevin and Fito have fled
their small town in search of greater opportunities in
America. José set out for the States but was quickly
apprehended and now languishes in the bureaucratic
process of deportation back to Honduras. These are
just a few of the true stories of young children
undertaking the brutal odyssey from Latin America
to the United States, never letting their dire
circumstances overtake their youthful exuberance. In
this bold, revelatory documentary, Cammisa presents
a harrowing tale of children in danger, riding on tops
of freight trains and subject to conditions beyond the
capacity of their tender years to navigate. But this is
also a story of indefatigable youth, of children of
very young age pursuing the only outlet for
 opportunity they perceive, and of the many allies and
adversaries they encounter along the way.” – Tribeca
Film Festival.

“The film follows several unaccompanied child

migrants as they journey through Mexico en route to
the U.S. on a freight train they call "The Beast."
Director Rebecca Cammisa ("Sister Helen") tracks
the stories of children like Olga and Freddy, nine-
year old Hondurans who are desperately trying to
reach their families in Minnesota, and Jose, a ten-
year-old El Salvadoran who has been abandoned by
smugglers and ends up alone in a Mexican detention
center, and focuses on Kevin, a canny, streetwise 14-
year-old Honduran, fleeing an abusive stepfather,
and whose mother hopes that he will reach New
York City and send money back to his family. These
are stories of hope and courage, disappointment and
sorrow. They are the ones you never hear about - the
invisible ones.” –Bullfrogfilms.com

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

• The 2010 EMMY Award for Outstanding

Informational Programming
• The Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award
Grand Prize
• The 2010 Imagen Award for Best
Documentary on Television
• The American Heritage Award for
Distinguished Public Service, the American
Immigration Council
• The La Mancha Humanitarian Award, The
Casa Cornelia Law Center
• The Humanitarian Activist Award, Alliance
of Women Film Journalists
• Jury Honorable Mention for Documentary
Feature, Cine Las Americas FF
• Audience Award for Best Documentary
Feature, Cine Las Americas FF
• Eye Audience Award,
Seoul International Youth Film Festival,
South Korea
• Special Jury Prize for Human Rights,
Traverse City Film Festival, Michigan
• The UNICEF Award,
The 2009 Havana International Film Festival
• The 2010 Youth Vision Award, United
Nations Association Film Festival

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 • The 2011 Dirk Vandersypen Journalism
Award
• Le Grand Prix du Festival
Festival des Libertés, Belgium

NOMINATIONS
• ACADEMY AWARD® Nominee 2010 Best
Documentary Feature
• The Independent Spirit Award for Best
Documentary Film
• EMMY Award Nominee 2010 for
Outstanding Individual Achievement —
Cinematography
• EMMY Award Nominee 2010 for
Outstanding Individual Achievement —
Editing
• EMMY Award Nominee 2010 for
Outstanding Individual Achievement —
Research

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DIRECTOR’S In 2003, Rebecca Cammisa founded
Documentress Films, teamed up with Mr.
CORNER
Mudd Productions, and began developing
the 2010 OSCAR-nominated documentary,
"Which Way Home," for which she
received a 2006 Fulbright Fellowship for
Filmmaking.

"Which Way Home" aired on HBO and

was nominated for a 2010 Independent
Spirit Award for Best Documentary, and
received four Emmy nominations. The film
won the 2010 News & Documentary
Emmy Award for Outstanding
Informational Programming and also received a 2010 Imagen
Award for Best Documentary on Television. (Taken from
http://whichwayhome.net/about-the-filmmakers.html )

Check out the links below for interviews with Rebecca Cammisa
discussing her film Which Way Home
• The documentarian discusses how 2005-2006 Fulbright to
Mexico helped her in producing and directing the critically-
acclaimed "Which Way Home" and how other filmmakers can
benefit from the Fulbright experience
• Director Rebecca Cammisa discusses her feature-length
documentary "Which Way Home," which follows three
unaccompanied children as they leave their homes in Latin
America and travel through Mexico to the U.S. border in order
to reunite with their parents who’ve made the trip before them.
• Question and Answer with Rebecca Cammisa on the making of
Which Way Home.

MEET THE CAST Kevin, a canny, 14-year-old Honduran, is traveling through Mexico
(taken from the official to get to the United States. His reason: to find a job and send money
website for the movie at back to his mother, Lupe. Kevin hopes to buy her a house so that
http://whichwayhome.net/ she can leave an abusive relationship. Lupe hopes he will find work,
meet-the-children.html) or some U.S. citizen will adopt him. Kevin wants to go to
Manhattan. But the trip is a revelation to Kevin – he was prepared
for the harshness of the journey, but the violence that he experiences
and witnesses takes its toll. Unexpectedly, he reexamines the high
cost migrants pay for their common dream of a better life in the
United States.

Fito, 13-year-old Honduran whose mother abandoned him when he

was very young, lives with his impoverished grandmother, who has
a job making cigars. He is traveling to the U.S. to look for work and

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 hopes to be adopted.

Yurico, a 17-year-old Mexican who ran away from his mother, has
lived on the streets of Tapachula, Chiapas since age seven. Yurico
proclaims that his life has been spent begging and sleeping on
streets, thieving and abusing drugs; sometimes he makes money by
washing buses at the city depot. Yurico wants a life free of drugs
and violence, and is traveling to the U.S. to find a loving family.

Jairo, a 14-year-old Mexican whose father never accepted him. He

has lived on the streets of Chiapas since his mother was killed a year
ago. Schooling is very important to him, but he cannot currently
afford to continue his education. Jairo has decided to go to Laredo,
Texas to find employment, and then return to Mexico with money
to hire a tutor.

Jose, a nine-year-old Salvadoran, lives with his aunt, and has not
seen his mother Rosa since she left to work in the U.S. three years
ago. Hoping to live with her, he traveled through Mexico on a bus
with a smuggler. When Mexican immigration officials boarded the
bus, the smuggler abandoned Jose, who was then taken to a
detention center.

Olga and Freddy, nine-year-old Hondurans being taken to the U.S.

by smugglers, travel on Mexican freight trains. Olga is trying to get
to her mother and sisters in Minnesota, while Freddy wants to
reunite with his father. Both have witnessed many accidents while
riding the trains, and hope that God will bless their journey.

Juan Carlos, a 13-year-old Guatemalan, left a letter for his mother

Esmeralda, stating that he was going to the U.S. to help her and his
siblings. Juan Carlos' father abandoned the family years ago, so he
feels it is his responsibility to provide for them. He also wants to
find his father in New York, and confront him about why he's
forgotten them.

WHICH WAY HOME also features the families of two young

migrants who did not survive their journey. The bodies of 13-year-
old Eloy and his 16-year-old cousin Rosario were found separately
in the desert. Their deaths, along with the other stories of those
featured in the film, underscore the extremely dangerous journey
undertaken by these often-invisible children, who are making adult
decisions to change their lives.

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LESSON PLANS The following activities can be used to accompany the viewing of
& ACTIVITIES the film Which Way Home. The activities are divided into the
following categories: Geography, Literacy, and Extension Projects.
The majority of the activities below support literacy standards
through reading and/or writing. Each category of activities is linked
to the appropriate Common Core Standards

Geography Common Core Standards Addressed:

K-12
Reading
Key Ideas and Details:
• Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and
to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual
evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions
drawn from the text.
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
• Read and comprehend complex literary and informational
text independently and proficiently.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
• Integrate and evaluate the content presented in diverse media
formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in
words.
Writing
Text Types and Purposes:
• Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey
complex ideas and information clearly and accurately
through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of
content.
Research to Build and Present Knowledge:
• Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects
based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of
the subject under investigation.
• Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to
support analysis, reflection, and research.

This activity can be done as an activity before viewing the film and
continued throughout the viewing of the film

The children featured in the film come from multiple countries—

Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. Find each country
on a map. Briefly discuss the location of the country. If possible
mark the map with that child immigrant’s name. Then using string,
yarn, etc. mark the path that the child took to try and make it to the
United States, updating this throughout the viewing of the movie.

If time allows, divide the class into groups, assigning each group a
country. Have the students research the country and create a report

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 or poster presentation. If appropriate for the age group, have
students research the state of the country and the reasons why
children would be attempting to immigrate to the United States.

Writing Common Core Standards Addressed:

K-12
Reading
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
• Integrate and evaluate the content presented in diverse media
formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in
words.
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
• Read and comprehend complex literary and informational
text independently and proficiently.
Writing
Text Types and Purposes:
• Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey
complex ideas and information clearly and accurately
through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of
content.
Production and Distribution of Writing:
• Produce clear and coherent writing in which the
development, organization and style are appropriate to task,
purpose and audience.
Research to Build and Present Knowledge:
• Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects
based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of
the subject under investigation.

Dialogue Journal
This activity was adapted from an activity found in Reading,
Writing and Rising Up by Linda Christensen (Rethinking Schools
Publications, 2000, p. 48-49). See the end of this guide for the
accompanying activity sheets to use in your classroom.

Give each student a copy of Activity Sheet #1. As a class, read over
the various themes listed on the sheet, discussing what they mean,
and possible examples. Have each student create a table out of
paper with two columns labeled “Observations/Quotes” and
“Reactions and Reflections” (See Activity Sheet #2 for an example).
View the film over a few days. Have students use the table they
created to keep a dialogue journal throughout the viewing of the
film. Students can keep track of their thoughts as they watch the
film, then give them time at the end of each class period to expand
on their “Reactions and Reflections” section.

If time allows, expand the activity by having students write a more

in-depth review of the movie or reflection on the themes based upon

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 the things they noted in their dialogue journal. Students should
include why or why not they would recommend the movie, its
usefulness in the classroom, and what their reaction to the film was.

Character Study
Pick your favorite character. Imagine that you are living his or her
life. How would you feel? What would you do if you were in his
or her position? Would you still try to come to the United States?
How would your life be different from what it is today? Does this
character change over the course of the film? If so, how? Write an
essay that answers all of these questions.

The View from Abroad

Many of the children in the film discuss what they think the United
States is going to be like. Do you think their impressions are
correct? Do you think it is worth risking everything to come to the
United States? If you could have a conversation with any of the
children from the movie what would you tell them? What do you
think they should know?

Extension Projects: Common Core Standards Addressed:

K-12
Immigration
• Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their
development; summarize the key supporting details and
ideas.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
• Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a
text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the
relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.
• Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or
topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the
approaches the authors take.
• Integrate and evaluate the content presented in diverse media
formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in
words.
Writing
Text Types and Purposes:
• Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of
substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and
relevant and sufficient evidence.
Production and Distribution of Writing:
• Produce clear and coherent writing in which the
development, organization and style are appropriate to task,
purpose and audience.
Research to Build and Present Knowledge:
• Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to
support analysis, reflection, and research.

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 This activity is more suited for an entire unit on immigration that
would allow for the viewing of more than just one movie. Begin by
showing one film on the topic of immigration (some possibilities in
addition to Which Way Home are listed below). Once students
have viewed this film, discuss the themes, developments, or ideas
presented in the film. Based on this discussion create some sort of
visual diagram or table that can be used to take notes on the
remaining films to be viewed—perhaps a table grouped by
characters, countries, themes, plot, etc.

As each film is viewed, fill out the table either as a class or

individually.

Once students have viewed the chosen films, ask them to sort
through what they’ve seen—Are there common themes in these
films? If so, what are they? What do the films have in common?
Are any of the characters similar? Is the viewer’s response different
for each film? Do the films leave the viewer feeling the same way?
What information are we given on immigration through these films?
What do we learn? Did your thinking on immigration change at
all? What did you learn? Which film was the most memorable for
you - and why? What were the intentions or purposes of the
individual directors in creating these films?

With the information gathered from the above questions and

conversations, have students create some sort of culminating paper
or project. There are a number of possibilities:
• Students create a Venn Diagram comparing two or more of
the movies, then write a compare and contrast essay using
the Venn Diagram as the basis for their essay.
• Students create a graphic organizer on “Learning about
Immigration through Film.” With this information, students
then write an essay that discusses the themes that each film
explores and how these themes contribute to learning about
Immigration through Film.
• Students write a reflective essay that describes their personal
learning journey as they were exposed to these various films
about immigration. They should include their initial
thoughts on immigration before the unit and how their
opinions or thinking changed by the end of the unit. They
should discuss any “Aha” moments they had and why these
were significant. They could include a discussion of the
movie they found the most meaningful and why.

Examples of films about immigration:

Balseros (Cuban immigration)
Mojados (Mexican immigration)
Sin Nombre

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RESOURCES Teacher’s Guide on Which Way Home
http://researchguides.library.wisc.edu/content.php?pid=151180&sid
=1383875
Research Guide for the movie Which Way Home offered
through the University of Wisconsin-Madison

Lesson Plans to accompany novel, Esperanza Rising, about a girl

who leaves Mexico for the United States
http://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plan/esperanza-rising-learning-not-
be-afraid-start-over#sect-thelesson

“Approaches to Understanding Current US/Mexican Immigration

Issues” by Victor Carmona
http://kellogg.nd.edu/outreach/immigration.shtml
An excellent compilation of resources including books, non-
fiction reading resources, movies and other online teaching
materials.

Indocumentales/Undocumentaries: the US/Mexico Interdependent

Film Series
http://indocumentales.com/
An itinerant film and dialogue series on immigration and
related issues. Indocumentales provides educational
resources and an interactive network so that people have an
opportunity to engage, come away more informed on the
issues and have an impact. To host a screening and dialogue
at your organization or in your city please contact us at
info@indocumentales.com.

Latin American & Iberian Institute

http://laii.unm.edu/outreach
The Latin American & Iberian Institute (LAII) receives
resources from the U.S. Department of Education to support
K-12 educators teaching about Latin America. Our goal is
to provide a supportive environment for teachers across
grade levels and subject areas so they can bring regional and
linguistic knowledge of Latin America into their classrooms.
As such as we provide curriculum materials, professional
development workshops, and many more resources - nearly
all of which are available on our website.

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ABOUT Written by staff at the UNM Latin American & Iberian Institute
(LAII), Latin America Through Film Educator’s Guides provide an
THIS GUIDE
excellent way to teach about Latin America through film. For more
materials that support teaching about Latin America in the
classroom, visit the LAII online at http://laii.unm.edu/outreach.
This guide was prepared 03/ 2012 by Katrina Dillon, LAII Project
Assistant.

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