Sam
Samnan Khamphavongsa
Worked the Tyson line in Storm Lake for twenty-two years. Tends a farm outside town with his wife, Ying.
TheAmericans
Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
Fleeing violence and persecution, refugees start new lives in the rural town of Storm Lake, Iowa—working the meatpacking line by day and reaching for something greater. Chronicling six years of their lives against a backdrop of political turmoil and a global pandemic, THE AMERICANS explores what the pursuit of happiness truly means.
A documentary by Hyunsoo Moon. 91 minutes. English, Karen and Nuer, with English subtitles.
World premiere: Saturday, November 7, 11 a.m., Palace Theatre, Lake Placid, NY.
25th Lake Placid Film Festival, Documentary Competition
Trailer
The four people in the film
Filmed in Storm Lake, Sioux City, Milwaukee and Madison from 2019 to 2025.
Jephthah
Jephthah Sayhtoo
A Karen father from Myanmar who studies for his GED and translates for his community, then moves his family to Milwaukee.
Anna
Anna Pirdor
A South Sudanese mother who left nursing school to send money home, raising her daughter while she works.
Ehler
Ehlermoo Taw
Fifteen when filming began. Translates for her parents, carries their expectations, and wants to go to college.
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