The Second Cooler. Directed by Ellin Jimmerson. Narrated by Martin Sheen.

12 million migrants are in the US illegally? Why? Who benefits?

The Second Cooler is a documentary about illegal migration shot primarily in Alabama, Arizona, and in northern and central Mexico. The premise is that Arizona is the new Alabama—the epicenter of an intense struggle for migrant justice. The documentary’s purpose is to bring basic migration issues into focus. Those issues include the impact of free trade agreements on migration, the lack of a legal way for poor Latin Americans to come to the United States, the inherent abuses of the guest worker program, the fact that many migrants are indigenous people, anti-immigrant politics in Alabama, the thousands of migrant deaths at the border, and an escalating ideology of the border.

Awards

Best Feature Documentary, Peace on Earth Film Festival, Chicago, 2013

Film4 Change Award, AMFM Festival of Art, Music, and Film, Palm Springs, California, 2013

Humanitarian Award for Ellin Jimmerson, AMFM Festival, 2013

Film Heals Award, Manhattan Film Festival, New York City, 2013

Official Selection, Arizona International Film Festival, Tucson, 2013

Official Selection, Boston Latino International Film Festival, Boston, 2013

Official Selection, Red Rock Film Festival, Hurricane, Utah, 2013

Official Selection, Dominican Republic Global Film Festival, Santo Domingo, 2013

Official Selection, Impugning Impunity: ALBA Human Rights Documentary Film Festival, New York City, 2014