To protect the woman she loves, V is forced to flee her homeland of Congo. She embarks on the dangerous journey to the U.S., only to be cruelly stripped of the few belongings that she carries.
V’s story is just one of many.
When immigration officials from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) apprehend migrants exercising their right to seek refuge, they often trash their belongings or confiscate and fail to return them. Finding safety shouldn’t come at the cost of losing everything.
For this project, the ACLU wanted to ignite outrage around the issue of property confiscation at the border and initially envisioned an explainer video. We guided them toward a first-person documentary storytelling approach. By connecting with a real person and her experience, we can give a face to the statistics and headlines.
To find the right person for the film, we focused on extensive story sourcing, reaching out to over a hundred individuals, lawyers, and community centers working with immigrants at the border. The challenge was finding people who were not only interested in sharing their stories but also still present in the community. Shoutout to the Haitian Bridge Alliance for ultimiately connecting us with V!
We had the privilege of spending two days with V, diving into her life and journey to the States. After gathering her story, we spent a few weeks editing it down to really capture what makes her special, while underscoring the important issues the ACLU was advocating to change. Our team took care of the whole production process—scripting, animation, and adding some amazing music and sound design from our favorite collaborators. In the end, the film aims to give V a platform to ensure her voice, and those like her, is heard.
Director Elyse Kelly
Producers Molly Kaplan, Elyse Kelly
Art director Naghmeh Farzaneh
Storyboard artists Danny Aviles, Darren Enterline
Designers Anna Bron, Hannah McNally, Kaho Yoshida
Field producer Nicholas Mihm
Editor Dan Fipphen
Animators Joumana Ismail, Eric Larson, Sabine Volkert
Cleanup lead / Assistant animator Laura Nasir-Tamara
Cleanup / Assistant animator Hannah O’Brien
Composers Brooke Blair & Will Blair
Sound designer & mixer Chris Mastellone
French translator Jacqueline Smith
Infield interpreters Guerline Jozef, Jeef Nelson
An award-winning film studio known for stories that spark conversation, shift perspectives, and leave a lasting impact. Founded by director & producer Elyse Kelly.
