Peter Cohn: Film. Digital Projects.
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    • Holyland
    • Golden Venture
    • Power and Control
    • Drunks
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  • HAS CAPITALISM FAILED?
    • Why Elizabeth Warren Could Have Saved Capitalism (published Oct. 1, 2019)
  • STORE
  • ABOUT
  • FILMS
    • Holyland
    • Golden Venture
    • Power and Control
    • Drunks
  • RANTS
  • HAS CAPITALISM FAILED?
    • Why Elizabeth Warren Could Have Saved Capitalism (published Oct. 1, 2019)
  • STORE

Golden Venture

In what was the largest apprehension of undocumented immigrants in US history, the grounding of the freighter Golden Venture off a New York City beach became a crucial turning point in the legal and political battle over US immigration policy.

Passengers had paid at least $30,000 to be brought to the U.S. from China’s Fujian Province, expecting to arrive indebted but unnoticed. But a seemingly golden opportunity, sparked by a Chinatown gang war, quickly evolved into a nightmare: The Golden Venture crash fed a media circus and became a symbol of a growing national concern over illegal immigration. With Bill Clinton facing a major erosion in political support, in part because of a surge in anti-immigrant sentiment, the government adopted a harsh new get tough policies — including detention of asylum seekers.

Many passengers were deported over a two-year period, while others were detained for up to four years in York, PA, where an unlikely coalition of lawyers, human rights advocages and anti-abortaion activists fought to help them.

At a time when the immigration issue has led to furious debate and high stakes political maneuvering, the fate of the Golden Venture passengers is more relevant than ever.

About Golden Venture

Official site
www.goldenventuremovie.com

Director/Producer
Peter Cohn

Narrator
Tim Robbins

Director of Photography
Etienne Sauret

Editors
Thavisouk Phrasavath
Peter Kinoy

Music
Miranda Hentoff

Produced in partnershp with the Strand-Capitol Theater, York, PA.

Buy Golden Venture

About Peter Cohn

Peter Cohn is a New York-based filmmaker.
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The Films

Films that look at the world’s central social and political concerns, based on a vision that is both compassionate and contrarian.
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