USC students film immigration drama on Commerce, Bell Gardens border
COMMERCE, CA — Residents near the Commerce-Bell Gardens border may have spotted what appeared to be federal agents in their neighborhood this week, but city officials say there is no known immigration enforcement operation underway.
USC School of Cinematic Arts students are filming “Ordinary Men,” a graduate thesis film about an interaction between immigration agents and a family at their home. The story focuses largely on the conflicted feelings of one of the agents and the family's experience, according to USC.
Filming is taking place on Darwell Avenue near the border of Bell Gardens and Commerce. Because actors portraying federal agents are appearing outdoors, police representatives from both Bell Gardens and Commerce are on set, according to USC.
The City of Commerce said it issued a public notice about the filming to minimize the possibility that residents could mistake the production for an actual federal enforcement operation. The city said notifying residents about traffic impacts from road closures is also standard procedure for permitted filming.
“Because the production includes actors portraying federal agents in a public setting, the City provided clarification as a precaution so residents and members of the public would understand that what they may observe is part of a permitted film production,” Commerce Media Specialist Katherine Tong told The SELA Sun.
Nearby residents were also notified by the students, while Commerce and Bell Gardens posted notices on social media. Commerce waived its normal film permit cost for the student production.
“Ordinary Men” is written and directed by USC graduate student Amarik Singh Khosa and produced by Natalie Jenq, Boxin Gong, and Dhruvraj Singh Bhati. USC Professor Brenda Goodman said Wednesday's shoot included nine cast members and a crew of roughly 25.
The 12-minute film follows Alex, a young Latino federal agent participating in his first raid as a translator, according to a crowdfunding page hosted by the Gotham Film & Media Institute. Told in part through real-time body camera footage, the story follows Alex as his team targets a family of U.S. citizens whose documents fail to stop the operation, forcing him to confront his own role in what unfolds. The production had raised $19,395 toward its $30,200 goal as of Thursday morning.
