Immigrant Voices Film Series: A Thousand Pines

Tuesday, July 15, 2025
Doors open: 7:00 PM | Screening at 7:30 PM
Runtime: 1hr 17 min.

Sliding Scale Tickets: $10-$25 – Pay what you can.

Join us for a powerful screening of A Thousand Pines directed by Noam Osband  and Sebastian Diaz, as part of the Immigrant Voices Film Series at La Peña Cultural Center.

A Thousand Pines explores the lives of migrants who depend on the controversial guest worker visa program, following a crew of workers from Oaxaca, Mexico, as they plant trees throughout the United States. The film shows their struggle to balance the physically demanding work and extreme isolation, while staying connected to their families back home. Over the course of the season, the crew becomes a small family, cooking, caring for each other, and enduring the punishing work.

The film centers on Raymundo Morales, the crew foreman, who is in his 19th season working for the largest reforestation company in the U.S. When he started, he was single and had few responsibilities. Now, he must balance his obligations to his wife, children, and his elderly mother with a heart condition, while also tending to the needs and emergencies of his crew. Spending only three months at home during the off-season, Raymundo’s job is both the family’s salvation and its heartbreak.

After the screening, stay for a discussion with the filmmakers.

Visit Lapena.info/Immigrant-Voices to learn more about this film series.

Presented by Friends of La Peña Immigrant Rights Committee.

For more information or questions, contact:
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About the Directors:

NOAM OSBAND
Director, Producer
Noam Osband is a filmmaker, radio producer, and anthropologist. His first feature film Adelante was nationally broadcast, and his documentary The Radical Jew won Best Short Documentary at the Charlotte Film Festival and Tallgrass Film Festival. He has contributed to The Atlantic, BBC4, Criminal, and Freakonomics Radio.

SEBASTIÁN DÍAZ
Director, Producer
Sebastián Díaz is a filmmaker and Emmy-awarded editor originally from Mexico. His short documentary Toñita’s premiered at MoMA Doc Fortnight. His award-winning documentary Brilliant Soil has screened internationally. Sebastián was a fellow of the 2020 Latino Media Market with A Thousand Pines, and he sits on the board of UnionDocs in NYC.

Learn more about the film: athousandpinesfilm.com

• La Peña is a wheelchair-accessible venue with step-less entry, wide doorways, and accessible restrooms.
• Restrooms are all-gender
• Masks are strongly encouraged. If you’re experiencing COVID-19, cold, or flu-like symptoms, please consider staying home to protect our community. HEPA air purifiers operate throughout our space.

We strive to make La Peña a welcoming, accessible space for everyone. If you have any specific needs or questions about accessibility, contact us in advance, and we’ll do our best to accommodate. Email us at aW5mbyB8IGxhcGVuYSAhIG9yZw==.

• Public Transit: The 18 bus line stops directly across the street (Shattuck & Woolsey), and Ashby BART is just two blocks away.
• Parking: Free street parking is available, or park at the Ashby BART station for a fee.
• Bike-Friendly: Bike racks are available outside La Peña.

Become a La Peña member today! Enjoy a 25% discount on tickets to this event, plus access to other exclusive perks. Learn more at: Lapena.org/members

Also check out other Entertainment events in Berkeley, Festivals in Berkeley, Workshops in Berkeley.