A Film by Camila Robalino, Isha Mazumdar, and Lisa Testa
Synopsis: This film portrays the hardships and the benefits of immigration through the experience of an Ecuadorian woman, Nory, after she came to Madrid, Spain with two of her youngest children. We explore the sacrifices behind the choice of many foreign parents to immigrate, particularly to Spain. We catch a glimpse of how they have assimilated into the culture of the receptive country, through their jobs and in their families. Throughout “El Largo Camino,” Nory walks us through her daily routines as a domestic services worker and as a mother in Madrid. From her perspective, we see how difficult it is to immigrate, but, also, how it paid off at the end.
Artistic Statements:
Camila Robalino:
Madrid is the adopted home for hundreds of immigrants, each with different reasons for leaving their country of origin. The life of an immigrant involves adversity and constant instability. Nory, with her wit and positive outlook, shows us the great commitment it is to immigrate and remove herself from her family and culture in order to provide a better life for her three children. Nory’s story allowed me to value the decision my parents took to, also, leave Ecuador when I was three years old and move to the United States. Without my parents’ love and tremendous sacrifice to uproot their lives into an unfamiliar country, I would not be the person I am today.
Isha Mazumdar:
Creating this film has been an insightful and unforgettable experience. We started this project
with the desire to relay the universality of the immigrant experience, the painful sacrifices immigrants make for their children, and the experiences of domestic workers in Spain. Through Nory, not only did I see migratory theories from other classes come to life, but also the stories of my parents who left India for the United States as young graduate students. So, I, too, can empathize with Juan’s feeling of being from nowhere but both places at once as a second generation immigrant. Listening to their stories, made me value the admirable strength it takes to be an immigrant.
Lisa Testa:
Madrid is deeper than the city that tourists experience when they visit, and as a student here for four months, I found it important to look below the surface and discover a part of the real Madrid. The city is full of immigrants from all over the world and their presence here is big part of the city. Interacting with Nory and traveling an hour outside of Madrid showed me this important perspective of Madrid that I could never have received otherwise.
