In this hand-rendered and heart-felt mini-doc for ACLU Arizona, Washington DC director Elyse Kelly and the animation team at her studio Neon Zoo bring to light the issue of immigrant property confiscation at the southern US border.

Elyse Kelly: “During pre-production, we spoke with countless individuals about their experiences seeking asylum. Unfortunately their stories aren’t uncommon — many people face injustices at the southern border. What drew us to V was that while her story has elements of pain and tragedy, it also has moments of joy and love.
 

“There’s something unparalleled about working in documentary. When you spend time with someone and learn about their life, there’s a responsibility to do justice to their story.”

 
“Her love story is what anchors the film, because love is something we all can relate to. Grounding advocacy in personal narratives helps humanize the issues, and has become a cornerstone of my work and the stories Neon Zoo is passionate about sharing.

“There’s something unparalleled about working in documentary. When you spend time with someone and learn about their life, there’s a responsibility to do justice to their story. Every creative decision is not simply to make something beautiful and engaging for its own sake, but to capture the authentic experience of a person who was gracious enough to share a part of themselves with you.

“This project holds a special place in my heart as seven years ago I got my big directing break from the ACLU. I was lucky to work on a number of campaigns with them, so it’s really where I found my voice as a filmmaker. After all these years, it felt good to partner with the ACLU again to support the vital work they’re doing.”
 
 

 
Client: ACLU Arizona

Production: Neon Zoo
Director: Elyse Kelly
Producer: Molly Kaplan
⁠Art director: Naghmeh Farzaneh
Storyboard artists: Danny Aviles⁠, Darren Enterline⁠
Designer: Anna Bron, Hannah McNally ⁠
⁠Field producer: Nicholas Mihm
Editor: Dan Fipphen
Animator: Joumana Ismail, Eric Larson, Sabine Volkert
Cleanup lead/Assistant animator: Laura Nasir-Tamara
Cleanup/Assistant animator: Hannah O’Brien
⁠
Music: Brooke Blair, Will Blair
Sound designer/mixer: Chris Mastellone
Infield interpreters: Guerline Jozef, Jeef Nelson⁠
French translator: Jacqueline Smith⁠
Spanish translator: Angela Meléndez