Teen's documentary film captures national contest
By Christopher Smart
The Salt Lake Tribune
PARK CITY -- He may live in a big house in Deer Valley, but 13-year-old Nicco Quinones captured the despair and hope of the immigrant work force so well in his documentary "An American Dream," that he has been awarded the top honor in a national competition.
"I learned that the people who do all the work around here deserve a lot of respect," Quinones said of Park City's Latino workers who keep the resort humming while doing menial labor.
"It's sad that so many die trying to get here," he said of the dangerous desert trek that many undocumented immigrants must take. "But it's heartening to know we have a country where people want to come and have the American Dream just like us."
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"I like documentaries. As everyone can see from 'Bowling for Columbine' and 'Fahrenheit 9-11' and 'Supersize Me,' they can be controversial, but they can make change."
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The documentary begins with music and a voice-over as the camera pans Deer Valley with its groomed ski slopes and large trophy houses. But with adept editing, it moves quickly to Park City's underbelly where Latino laborers are working in kitchens or at construction sites. "People say they are breaking the law," says the narrator. "But all they want to do is work."
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http://www.sltrib.com/2004/Jun/06262004/utah/179054.asp"An American Dream" can be viewed at
http://www.cspan.org/classroom/campaigncam.