- People from opposite sides of the Arizona-Sonora border come together despite economic, health care, and political barriers - to create a center of wellness and hope.
- "Beyond Barriers / Esperanza sin fronteras" is an enduring tale of compassion and possibility. This is the story of a community in Sonora that transcends borders.
Naco, Sonora, is a community with 6,400 people located just across the border from a city by the same name - Naco, Arizona. About 70% of the people in Naco, Sonora have difficulty finding work and providing enough food or clothing for their families. They are a proud people... and so don't let on that they are struggling - just trying to survive, relying on friends and neighbors for help when needed.
For basic needs like health care, many families from Sonora would cross to a church in Arizona for screenings like blood pressure and lab tests. But when it was announced that the border wall would be raised between Naco, Sonora and Naco, Arizona, the screening center in Arizona shut down - leaving the Mexican families facing yet another barrier, which was lack of basic health care. Plus, an extremely overcrowded local clinic could not handle the population without help and the nearest hospital was more than two hours away!
Taking matters into her own hands, Lupita Sanchez (a Mexican mother of three children who ran a pharmacy with her husband) was searching for an advocate in America to help connect people in both cities. She happened to be volunteering at a local health care event when she crossed paths with Tom Carlson (an 85-year-old retiree from Arizona). They had similar dreams to change lives and so began an enduring and at-times, heartbreaking journey of two determined people who gathered strength and support to make a difference - despite the wall. They could envision possibilities beyond such barriers.
And so the story of "Beyond Barriers" begins... This 28-minute fully-produced documentary is in both English and Spanish versions. It took more than three years to finish. The Narrators are SAG-AFTRA actors, and the original music was done by a composer who has been celebrated for his music in many Academy-award-winning feature films.
To learn more, see AlphaFilms.com/Beyond-Barriers.
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