Documentary About 15-Year Old Homeless, Undocumented Immigrant Gets Oscar Nod

You can watch the short-documentary nominated for an Oscar online.

By Jorge Rivas Jan 14, 2013

The documentary "Inocente" has been nominated for an Oscar in the "Documentary Short" category. The film follows fifteen-year-old Inocente Izucar, a homeless, undocumented immigrant living in San Diego, California.

The documentary is about a homeless teenager but because Izucar is undocumented the film also explores other issues like deportation, domestic violence and suicide. Throughout the film you see Izucar speaking directly to the camera as she discusses her family, memories and her hopes and dreams.

The film was made by husband-and-wife directing duo Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine. They originally set out to make a documentary about homeless youth in San Diego but they decided to focus entirely on Izucar after their first meeting.

The filmmakers brought in actor John Leguizamo as an executive producer shortly after production.

Leguizamo says he’s proud of being involved with the documentary and urges other Latino entertainers to get more involved in helping enact social policy change.

"Some actors like Sean Penn are very political in their lives and I admire that," Leguizamo told The Hollywood Reporter last year. "But a lot of people won’t do it because of the backlash…I wish Latin athletes, actors, producers who have so much power would do more. I don’t hear them speaking up enough about an issue like immigration."

The documentary made it’s broadcast premiere on MTV in August 2012.

"Inocente" is just 40 minutes and producers hope it will be shown in museums and libraries. They hope it becomes part of school curriculums, accompanied by art workshops and discussions.

You can watch the entire documentary below.