Immigrant Voices Film Series: Terrenos Fuera y Dentro and Sui Generis

Tuesday, September 16, 2025 | Doors open: 7:00 PM | Screening at 7:30 PM | Runtime: 36 min. and 8 min

Sliding Scale Tickets: $10-$25 | Pay what you can | Benefit for Centro Legal de la Raza

Join us for the screenings of Terrenos Fuera y Dentro, directed by Javier Roberto Carlos, and Sui Generis, directed by Yvan Iturriaga, as part of the Immigrant Voices Film Series at La Peña Cultural Center.

After the screening, stay for a moderated community discussion.

Learn more about upcoming film screenings at Lapena.info/Immigrant-Voices (case-sensitive).

Presented by Friends of La Peña Immigrant Rights Committee and La Peña Cultural Center

For more information or questions: FLPIR.org

Terrenos Fuera y Dentro, 2025

Terrenos Fuera Y Dentro (Inner and Outer Terrains) is a three-channel video documenting La Caminata Nocturna, a participatory reenactment of a border crossing. Tourists take on the roles of migrants, while local community members portray gang members, narcos, and border patrol agents.

The installation combines interviews with actors—many of whom have experienced border crossings—with their performances, blending reality and reenactment. This powerful juxtaposition challenges viewers' preconceptions of migrants and prompts critical reflection on immigration narratives.

Learn more about the film at www.javierrobertocarlos.com/terrenosfueraydentro

Sui Generis

Sui Generis (of its own kind) is the story of a young boy who crosses the US/Mexico border. Like many before him, he leaves behind everything he has and faces a future of many incarnations. Whatever his path, however, he discovers the border is always there, changing form, a different barrier for every dream.

Told without dialogue, the film and soundtrack are loosely inspired by the novel Frankenstein, showing the “creation” of a person who is regarded as undesirable and treated as sub-human by many in the mainstream. Sui Generis is a commentary on immigration, on “illegal” immigrants and on the effects this phenomenon has on individuals, families and society.

Learn more about the film at www.iskracine.com/portfolio-item/sui-generis

Javier Roberto Carlos (b. Guatemala 1981) is a filmmaker and multidisciplinary artist whose work explores the intersections of migration, labor, myth, and power. Working across documentary, video installation, and sculpture, he traces the economic and ideological forces that shape how we live and remember. His work investigates the impacts of colonialism and capitalism on land, history, and meaning—often drawing from his own experiences as a formerly undocumented immigrant and refugee. Grounded in the ethos of bearing witness, Javier creates restrained yet intimate works that center marginalized perspectives while interrogating the systems that obscure or exploit them.

His work has been exhibited at institutions and festivals worldwide, including SFMOMA, Sheffield DocFest, Full Frame Documentary Festival, and the San Francisco Indie Fest. He has received support from the Ford Foundation, the Princess Grace Foundation, and the San Francisco Arts Commission, among others, and has been awarded the President’s Award at Full Frame (2017) and Best Short Documentary at the Icaro International Film Festival (2017). He has participated in residencies at the Headlands Center for the Arts, the Djerassi Resident Artists Program, and SFFILM FilmHouse. He is also the co-founder of 32K Productions, a film production company specializing in documentary and social impact storytelling.

Yvan Iturriaga is an Oakland-based writer/director who spent his childhood border crossing through Latin America, living in the extended Chilean exile community. Constantly moving in the undefined space between exile and return, Yvan grew up surrounded by people with silenced, clandestine stories. His desire to make those stories known and remembered inspired him to become a filmmaker. His documentary work includes production of The Storm That Swept Mexico and episode six of the Peabody-award winning series Latino Americans; and co-directing A Photographer’s Journey for the PBS American Masters series. Yvan also wrote and directed the narrative shorts Sui Generis and Beep playing in over thirty festivals worldwide. Most recently, Yvan directed seasons one and two (fourteen episodes) of the original series The North Pole, executive produced by Rosario Dawson. His feature screenplay American Babylon won a 2018 SFFILM Rainin Screenwriting Grant and 2019 SFFILM FilmHouse residency. Yvan was also selected to attend the Cine Qua Non Lab screenwriters lab with the same project in August 2019.

• 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. For accommodation requests, please contact us at least one week in advance, and we’ll do our best to support you. Email us at aW5mbyB8IExhcGVuYSAhIG9yZw==.

• 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

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