Documentaries and the Law: Student Videos

... and Justice for All?

Annie Cho, J.D. 2007
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"... and Justice for All?" is a film written and directed by Annie Cho for the Documentaries & the Law course. In this film, Cho explores the financial crunch that exists in providing free legal services to people of limited means. Legal representation in civil matters is not a constitutional right. Attorney's fees can be quite expensive. Many people are therefore forced either to go forward in such matters without counsel or to seek free legal services. Unfortunately, half of eligible clients are turned away by free legal services providers because of a lack of resources. No guarantee exists for adequate funding for the Legal Services Corporation. Moreover, efforts to maximize available resources so as to serve as many clients as possible have only limited impact.

"A Done Deal?" Casinos in Philadelphia

Corinne Militello, J.D. 2007
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Following the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board's decision to site two slots-parlor casinos on the Delaware River in Philadelphia, community groups and city politicians joined together to support a change in city zoning regulations that would establish a 1500-foot buffer zone around the proposed casinos. Many residents were disappointed in what they perceived to be the lack of public input into the controversial siting decision, and saw the proposed zoning regulation as a way to retain control over the future of development in their neighborhoods. "A Done Deal?" by Corinne Militello explores this controversy through an analysis of the legal mechanisms available to citizens and through interviews with citizens themselves.

Beyond the Border

Juan Garcia, J.D. 2008 & Robert Manzanares, J.D. 2008
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Inspired by Ursula Biemann's documentary "Performing the Border," this film explores the social dynamics of the internal border which is negotiated by citizens of United States and immigrants from Mexico and Central America. The "internal border" refers to the cultural, economic, and social divide that exists between newly arrived immigrants and mainstream American society. The internal border is reflected in economic activity, religious worship, and behavior that may be deemed criminal or antisocial. A crucial question throughout is whether the internal border is imposed from above-by mainstream American society's will to exclude-or is self-imposed-by the immigrants' own desire not to integrate and assimilate.

Films require Windows Media Player