THE HARVEST/LA COSECHA
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The story of the children who feed America.

Every year there are more than 400,000 American children who are torn away from their friends, schools and homes to pick the food we all eat.  Zulema, Perla and Victor labor as migrant farm workers, sacrificing their own childhoods to help their families survive.  THE HARVEST/LA COSECHA profiles these three as they journey from the scorching heat of Texas’ onion fields to the winter snows of the Michigan apple orchards and back south to the humidity of Florida’s tomato fields to follow the harvest.

From the Producers of the Academy-Award® Nominated film, WAR/DANCE and Executive Producer Eva Longoria, this award-winning documentary provides an intimate glimpse into the lives of these children who struggle to dream while working 12 – 14 hours a day, 7 days a week to feed America.

Get The Harvest (La Cosecha) for your school, university, or library from Cinema Libre!

WATCH THIS FILM

“In its modest way, calls to mind “The Grapes of Wrath”

Mike Hale, The New York Times

"This documentary is an overdue and much-needed revelation of the injustices suffered as a result of government failure to redress an anachronistic exception to basic child labor law.”

Thomas A. Saenz, President and General Counsel, MALDEF

“The hard labor, the struggle of poverty and the love of families — are shown in the documentary “The Harvest/La Cosecha”

Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan, The Herald Sun
Impact

politicalScreened for members of congress and the department of labor in support of child labor laws.

politicalUsed by Rep. Lucille Royball-Allard (D-CA) to introduce legislation to raise the minimum age for children working in the fields:

“I applaud Eva Longoria, Robin Romano and Shine Global for using the power of film to shine a light on the plight of child farmworkers in The Harvest/La Cosecha.  As this film documents, children in agriculture too often work in dangerous and exploitive conditions, which are illegal in every other industry.  That is why I authored HR 3564, the CARE Act, which would raise labor standards and protections for farmworker children to the same level set for children in all other occupations”
–Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard

viewersBroadcast nationally by EPIX HD and The Discovery Network’s Destination America.

educationScreened as part of Tribeca Film Institute’s Youth Screening Series about food justice.  This great program is offered to public schools throughout New York City and uses varying genres of film to enhance students’ academic engagement and foster critical thinking skills.

Awards

Seleccion Oficial Guadalajara 2011

Seleccion Oficial Docs 2011

IDFA Competition for First Appearance 2010

Official Selection Sausalito Film Festival 2011

Official Selection DocuWest 2011

Winner San Antonio Audience Award 2011

Official Selection Thessaloniki 2011

Official Selection Full Frame Documentary Film Festival 2011

Official Selection VivaFest! 2011

Winner San Antonio Outstanding Filmmaker 2011

San Antonio Film Festival Audience Award Best Documentary

San Antonio Film Festival Outstanding Filmmaker

ALMA Special Achievement Award

Credits

Directed by
U. Roberto Romano

Produced by
Rory O’Connor and U. Roberto Romano

Executive Producer
Eva Longoria

Executive Producers
Albie Hecht and Susan MacLaury

Executive Producers
Alonzo Cantu, Rory O’Connor, and Raul Padilla

Co-Producer
Charlie Sadoff

Associate ProducerS
Ingrid Duran, David Damian Figueroa, Brendan Hermes, Andrew Herwitz, Rebecca Katz, and Catherine Pino

Associate Director
Julia Perez

Edited by
Nicholas Clark

Director of Photography
U. Roberto Romano

Music By
Wendy Blackstone

Official Sites