Bisbee '17

In 1917, the border town of Bisbee, Arizona, did something absolutely horrific: 1,200 striking copper miners—many of them immigrant migrant workers—were rounded up at gun point, forced onto cattle cars, driven out to the middle of the desert, and left to die. A century later, current Bisbee residents prepare to commemorate the anniversary of the now infamous “Bisbee’s Deportation” by staging dramatic reenactments of the strike and its aftermath. These dramatizations, crafted by the area's locals with conflicting accounts handed down as family lore for generations, reveal a town in firm denial of its dark past. In Bisbee '17, innovative nonfiction artist Robert Greene perfects his signature style of blending documentary and drama, artfully examining the complex issues of immigration, corporate corruption, and environmental protection. It's a cautionary tale for modern America that in light of recent ICE policies involving children and families, makes what happened in Bisbee 100 years ago seem less unimaginable than ever before. IN PERSON: Director Robert Greene (Fri) and Producer Douglas Tirola.