Entry Denied: A Documentary about Us

by Amos Lim


To date, there have been just a handful of projects that tell our stories to the world. Entry Denied, a documentary film by Machu Latorre, currently in post-production is almost ready to join the ranks with Judy Rickard’s book Torn Apart and Sebastian Cordoba’s film Through Thick and Thin.

Machu’s film has been a labor of love and determination. For 10 years she has followed three same-sex binational couples through their various journeys and documented their struggles and glimpses at happiness. As the years go by, their stories unfold to the point that today one couple is currently living in exile in Vancouver, one couple maintains a long distance relationship and one couple has been able to stay in the US.

Machu has primarily self-financed this project, with some support from friends and grants. As she prepares to finish the film and get it ready for submission into a series of high-profile film festivals festival (like Sundance, Telluride Film Fest and various LGBT film fests) she has launched a campaign on kickstarter.com. Can you help Machu finish telling these stories and get the message out to a larger audience? Please make a donation if you can (even if it is $10). You can also help by sharing this link on your Facebook page or other social media. We have always lamented the fact that our stories are not often told by the media. Projects like Entry Denied that have the potential for wide distribution increase the chance of more people learning about the discrimination we face and taking an active role in changing the laws that continue to separate our families.

Machu has provided a synopsis of the documentary on the kickstarter website - http://kck.st/nx98eP - this is also the link where you can contribute to help finance her post-production costs.

On a personal note, I’d like to tell you a little bit about Machu. My husband Mickey and I have known her for 10 years (almost the entire time she has been working on Entry Denied). Machu is from Spain and has also been in a same-sex binational relationship. When our house caught on fire, just 3 weeks before my OPT visa was about to expire, Machu was the first person to rush to our aid and offer us accommodation in her one bedroom apartment. She has been a wonderful friend and is the godmother to our daughter. I have seen the passion and commitment she has devoted to Entry Denied and know that this film will be very important to us all. If you believe as I do that there is no better way to raise awareness about what same-sex binational couples must deal with to stay together in this country than by telling our stories, please help support getting Entry Denied finished and shown to as many people as possible.