The Best Movies About Immigration And Immigrants
“What are the best movies about Immigration And Immigrants?” We looked at 247 of the top Immigration films, aggregating and ranking them so we could answer that very question!
The top 28 films, all appearing on 3 or more “Best Immigration” movie lists, are ranked below by how many times they appear. The remaining 200+ movies, as well as the sources we used, are in alphabetical order on the bottom of the page.
Happy Scrolling!
Top 28 Immigration Movies
28 .) Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974)
Lists It Appears On:
- Film School Rejects
- IMDB
- Indie Wire
Emmi Kurowski, a cleaning lady, is lonely in her old age. Her husband died years ago, and her grown children offer little companionship. One night she goes to a bar frequented by Arab immigrants and strikes up a friendship with middle-aged mechanic Ali. Their relationship soon develops into something more, and Emmi’s family and neighbors criticize their spontaneous marriage. Soon Emmi and Ali are forced to confront their own insecurities about their future.
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27 .) An American Tail (1986)
Lists It Appears On:
- AV Club
- AZ Central
- Film School Rejects
A young mouse named Fievel and his family decide to migrate to America, a “land without cats,” at the turn of the 20th century. But somehow, Fievel ends up in the New World alone and must fend off not only the felines he never thought he’d have to deal with again but also the loneliness of being away from home.
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26 .) Babel
Lists It Appears On:
- BuzzFeed
- Film School Rejects
- IMDB
Tragedy strikes a married couple on vacation in the Moroccan desert, touching off an interlocking story involving four different families.
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25 .) Coming To America (1988)
Lists It Appears On:
- AV Club
- BuzzFeed
- IMDB
Prince Akeem, heir to the throne of Zamunda, leaves the tropical paradise kingdom in search of his queen. What better place than Queens, New York, to find his bride? Joined by his loyal servant and friend, Semmi, Akeem attempts to blend in as an ordinary American and begin his search.
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24 .) District 9
Lists It Appears On:
- Film School Rejects
- Ranker
- Wikipedia
Thirty years ago, aliens arrive on Earth. Not to conquer or give aid, but to find refuge from their dying planet. Separated from humans in a South African area called District 9, the aliens are managed by Multi-National United, which is unconcerned with the aliens’ welfare but will do anything to master their advanced technology. When a company field agent contracts a mysterious virus that begins to alter his DNA, there is only one place he can hide: District 9.
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23 .) For a Moment, Freedom
Lists It Appears On:
- IMDB
- Ranker
- Wikipedia
Centers on a group of weary Middle Eastern refugees who have made their way to Turkey to apply for European visas.
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22 .) Gangs Of New York (2002)
Lists It Appears On:
- AV Club
- IMDB
- Ranker
It’s 1863. America was born in the streets. Amsterdam Vallon returns to the Five Points of America to seek vengeance against the psychotic gangland kingpin, Bill the Butcher, who murdered his father years earlier. With an eager pickpocket by his side and a whole new army, Vallon fights his way to seek vengeance on the Butcher and restore peace in the area.
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21 .) Head-on (2004)
Lists It Appears On:
- BFI
- IMDB
- Wikipedia
Head On is German director Fatih Akin’s story of the alcoholic Cahit and Turkish Sibel. Akin tells the story of a love that can never be between two people who are too alike to not be together.
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20 .) House of Sand and Fog
Lists It Appears On:
- BuzzFeed
- IMDB
- Ranker
Behrani, an Iranian immigrant buys a California bungalow, thinking he can fix it up, sell it again, and make enough money to send his son to college. However, the house is the legal property of former drug addict Kathy. After losing the house in an unfair legal dispute with the county, she is left with nowhere to go. Wanting her house back, she hires a lawyer and befriends a police officer. Neither Kathy nor Behrani have broken the law, so they find themselves involved in a difficult moral dilemma.
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19 .) Illégal
Lists It Appears On:
- IMDB
- Ranker
- Wikipedia
A hugely successful DA goes into private practice after sending a man to the chair — only to find out later he was innocent. Now the drunken attorney only seems to represent criminals and low lifes.
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18 .) Journey of Hope
Lists It Appears On:
- IMDB
- Ranker
- Wikipedia
In a village in eastern Turkey, tales of the economic success of Turks in Switzerland inspire Haydar to convince his wife Meryem that they must go. He sells their livestock and small plot of land in exchange for passage for two. He wants to leave their seven children in the care of the eldest and his parents; his father advises him to take one son to be educated in Europe, as economic insurance. The three set off for Istanbul, Milan, and Switzerland, stowing away on a ship. At Lake Como, they pay the rest of their money to unprincipled men who abandon them at an Alpine pass before a blizzard. Father and son are separated from Meryem. Will anyone reach the land of promise?
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17 .) Stranger Than Paradise (1984)
Lists It Appears On:
- AV Club
- IMDB
- Indie Wire
Rootless Hungarian émigré Willie, his pal Eddie, and visiting sixteen-year-old cousin Eva always manage to make the least of any situation, whether aimlessly traversing the drab interiors and environs of New York City, Cleveland, or an anonymous Florida suburb.
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16 .) The Namesake (2006)
Lists It Appears On:
- AV Club
- IMDB
- NPR
American-born Gogol, the son of Indian immigrants, wants to fit in among his fellow New Yorkers, despite his family’s unwillingness to let go of their traditional ways.
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15 .) The Perez Family
Lists It Appears On:
- EW
- Ranker
- We Are MITU
In the midst of the Mariel boat lift — a hurried exodus of refugees from Cuba going to America — an immigration clerk accidentally presumes that dissident Juan Raul Perez and Dorita Evita Perez are married. United by their last name and a mutual resolve to emigrate, Dorita and Juan agree to play along. But it gets complicated when the two begin falling for each other just as Juan reunites with his wife, Carmela, whom he hasn’t seen in decades.
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14 .) Welcome (2009)
Lists It Appears On:
- IMDB
- Ranker
- Wikipedia
Bilal is 17 years old, a Kurdish boy from Iraq. He sets off on an adventure-filled journey across Europe. He wants to get to England to see his love who lives there. Bilal finally reaches Calais, but how do you cover 32 kilometers of the English Channel when you can’t swim? The boy soon discovers that his trip won’t be as easy as he imagined… The community of struggling illegal aliens in Calais
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13 .) Dancer In The Dark (2000)
Lists It Appears On:
- AV Club
- AZ Central
- IMDB
- Indie Wire
Selma, a Czech immigrant on the verge of blindness, struggles to make ends meet for herself and her son, who has inherited the same genetic disorder and will suffer the same fate without an expensive operation. When life gets too difficult, Selma learns to cope through her love of musicals, escaping life’s troubles – even if just for a moment – by dreaming up little numbers to the rhythmic beats of her surroundings.
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12 .) Entre Nos
Lists It Appears On:
- BuzzFeed
- IMDB
- Spanish Mama
- We Are MITU
Abruptly abandoned by her husband in a country completely foreign to her, Colombian native Mariana (Paola Mendoza) struggles to take care of herself and her two young children on the unforgiving streets of New York City. Sebastian Villada, Laura Montana and Anthony Chisholm also star in this gritty independent drama jointly written and directed by Mendoza and her collaborator Gloria La Morte.
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11 .) The Border (1982)
Lists It Appears On:
- EW
- IMDB
- Miss Liberty
- Ranker
A corrupted border agent decides to clean up his act when an impoverished woman’s baby is put up for sale on the black market.
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10 .) The Kite Runner
Lists It Appears On:
- BuzzFeed
- IMDB
- Ranker
- Wikipedia
After spending years in California, Amir returns to his homeland in Afghanistan to help his old friend Hassan, whose son is in trouble.
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9 .) America, America (1963)
Lists It Appears On:
- AZ Central
- IMDB
- Miss Liberty
- NPR
- Ranker
A young Anatolian Greek, entrusted with his family’s fortune, loses it en route to Istanbul and dreams of going to America
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8 .) Children of Men
Lists It Appears On:
- AZ Central
- Film School Rejects
- IMDB
- Ranker
- Wikipedia
In 2027, in a chaotic world in which humans can no longer procreate, a former activist agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea, where her child’s birth may help scientists save the future of humankind.
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7 .) El Norte (1983)
Lists It Appears On:
- AZ Central
- EW
- IMDB
- NPR
- We Are MITU
Brother and sister Enrique and Rosa flee persecution at home in Guatemala and journey north, through Mexico and on to the United States, with the dream of starting a new life.
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6 .) Moscow on the Hudson (1984)
Lists It Appears On:
- AV Club
- BFI
- EW
- IMDB
- Miss Liberty
A Russian circus visits the US. A clown wants to defect, but doesn’t have the nerve. His saxophone playing friend however comes to the decision to defect in the middle of Bloomingdales. He is befriended by the black security guard and falls in love with the Italian immigrant from behind the perfume counter. We follow his life as he works his way through the American dream and tries to find work as a musician.
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5 .) Sin Nombre (2008)
Lists It Appears On:
- AZ Central
- Film School Rejects
- IMDB
- NPR
- We Are MITU
Set on the border, where Mexico becomes the crucible and the fearsome gangs of today’s Mexican countryside, the gauntlet, to freedom. The stories of a girl living in Honduras and hungering for a brighter future, and two teen gang members, for whom the Mara Salvatrucha is near their entire universe, become interlaced on the train to the border, a journey that will determine the future of their lives
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4 .) The Immigrant (2014)
Lists It Appears On:
- AV Club
- AZ Central
- IMDB
- IMDB
- Indie Wire
In 1921 New York. an immigrant woman is tricked into a life of burlesque and vaudeville until a dazzling magician tries to save her and reunite her with her sister who is being held in the confines of Ellis Island.
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3 .) In America (2003)
Lists It Appears On:
- AV Club
- BuzzFeed
- EW
- IMDB
- Indie Wire
- Ranker
An Irish immigrant family adjusts to life in the United States, a chance to get over the lost son. They have no money and the apartment is in bad condition.
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2 .) The Godfather Part II (1974)
Lists It Appears On:
- AV Club
- AZ Central
- BuzzFeed
- Film School Rejects
- IMDB
- Indie Wire
In the continuing saga of the Corleone crime family, a young Vito Corleone grows up in Sicily and in 1910s New York. In the 1950s, Michael Corleone attempts to expand the family business into Las Vegas, Hollywood and Cuba.
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1 .) The Visitor (2007)
Lists It Appears On:
- AV Club
- AZ Central
- BuzzFeed
- IMDB
- Indie Wire
- Ranker
A college professor travels to New York City to attend a conference and finds a young couple living in his apartment.
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The 200+ Additional Best Movies About The Immigrant Experience
# | Movies | Lists |
(Films Appear On 2 Lists Each) | ||
29 | A Better Life | IMDB |
Ranker | ||
30 | Ae Fond Kiss… | IMDB |
Wikipedia | ||
31 | An American Rhapsody | IMDB |
Ranker | ||
32 | Avalon (1990) | AV Club |
IMDB | ||
33 | Biutiful | IMDB |
Wikipedia | ||
34 | Black Girl (1966) | BFI |
Indie Wire | ||
35 | Brick Lane (2007) | IMDB |
Wikipedia | ||
36 | Brooklyn (2015) | AV Club |
IMDB | ||
37 | Crossing Over | IMDB |
Ranker | ||
38 | Dheepan |
Film School Rejects
|
Wikipedia | ||
39 | Dirty Pretty Things | IMDB |
Wikipedia | ||
40 | Distant Lights (2003) | IMDB |
Wikipedia | ||
41 | Eden Is West | IMDB |
Wikipedia | ||
42 | Green Card | EW |
IMDB | ||
43 | In This World (2002) | IMDB |
NPR | ||
44 | Inch’Allah dimanche | IMDB |
Wikipedia | ||
45 | It’s a Free World… | IMDB |
Wikipedia | ||
46 | La Promesse (1996) | IMDB |
Indie Wire | ||
47 | Le Havre | IMDB |
Wikipedia | ||
48 | Letters from Alou | Ranker |
Wikipedia | ||
49 | Live and Become | IMDB |
Wikipedia | ||
50 | Lost Boys of Sudan | BuzzFeed |
IMDB | ||
51 | Machan (2008) | IMDB |
Wikipedia | ||
52 | Maria Full Of Grace (2004) | AV Club |
EW | ||
53 | Morgen | IMDB |
Wikipedia | ||
54 | Persepolis |
Film School Rejects
|
IMDB | ||
55 | Provoked: A True Story | IMDB |
Wikipedia | ||
56 | Scarface | IMDB |
Ranker | ||
57 | Shun Li and the Poet | IMDB |
Wikipedia | ||
58 | Spanglish | EW |
IMDB | ||
59 | The Joy Luck Club (1993) | BFI |
IMDB | ||
60 | The Other Side of Immigration | Ranker |
Remezcla | ||
61 | The Secret of the Grain (2007) | IMDB |
Indie Wire | ||
62 | Titanic | IMDB |
Ranker | ||
63 | Under The Same Moon | IMDB |
We Are MITU
|
||
64 | Which Way Home | Remezcla |
Spanish Mama
|
||
(Films Appear On 1 Lists Each) | ||
65 | 10th Day | Wikipedia |
66 | 30 Days in Atlanta | Wikipedia |
67 | A Girl in Australia | Wikipedia |
68 | A Hearty Response | Wikipedia |
69 | A Private Enterprise | Wikipedia |
70 | A Separation |
Film School Rejects
|
71 | Aadujeevitham (film) | Wikipedia |
72 | Acqua Fuori Dal Ring | Wikipedia |
73 | Africa Paradis | Wikipedia |
74 | Alambrista! | IMDB |
75 | Alamo Bay | EW |
76 | Alucarda” |
We Are MITU
|
77 | Amerika Square | Wikipedia |
78 | Anita and Me (film) | Wikipedia |
79 | Bajo la misma luna |
Spanish Mama
|
80 | Banat (film) | Wikipedia |
81 | Bandhobi | Wikipedia |
82 | Bend It Like Beckham | Wikipedia |
83 | Beyond Borders | Remezcla |
84 | Bhaji on the Beach (1993) | BFI |
85 | Black and White (2008 Italian film) | Wikipedia |
86 | Blue Eyes | Ranker |
87 | Bread and Chocolate | Wikipedia |
88 | Burning in the Wind | Wikipedia |
89 | Colossal Youth (film) | Wikipedia |
90 | Coneheads (1993) | Miss Liberty |
91 | Crash | BuzzFeed |
92 | Cronos” |
We Are MITU
|
93 | Danny From North Korea (2013) | Miss Liberty |
94 | Departures (2011 film) | Wikipedia |
95 | Desierto |
We Are MITU
|
96 | Dirty Hearts | Wikipedia |
97 | Documented | Remezcla |
98 | Dog Days (2013) | Miss Liberty |
99 | Don’t Tell Anyone | Remezcla |
100 | Elysium (film) | Wikipedia |
101 | Eternity and a Day | IMDB |
102 | Far and Away | IMDB |
103 | Fast Food Nation | IMDB |
104 | Fear Eats the Soul (1974) | BFI |
105 | Feathered Dreams | Wikipedia |
106 | First Snowfall | Wikipedia |
107 | Five Minarets in New York | IMDB |
108 | Flame in the Streets | Wikipedia |
109 | Flores de otro mundo | Wikipedia |
110 | Flowers from Another World | IMDB |
111 | Food Chains | Remezcla |
112 | Forbidden: Undocumented and Queer in Rural America | Remezcla |
113 | Four Sons | Ranker |
114 | Gaijin 2: Love Me as I Am | Wikipedia |
115 | Gaijin: Roads to Freedom | Wikipedia |
116 | God’s Own Country (2017 film) | Wikipedia |
117 | Golden Door | IMDB |
118 | Grow Your Own (film) | Wikipedia |
119 | Growing Up Smith | Wikipedia |
120 | Hasta el viento tiene miedo” |
We Are MITU
|
121 | Hatred (2012 film) | Wikipedia |
122 | Heaven’s Gate (1980) | AV Club |
123 | Home Again (2012 film) | Wikipedia |
124 | How I Discovered America | Wikipedia |
125 | I Am Not Lorena | Wikipedia |
126 | I Can’t Sleep (1994) | BFI |
127 | I Nicotera | Wikipedia |
128 | I Remember Mama (1948) | AV Club |
129 | I, the Other | Wikipedia |
130 | Il Gaucho | Wikipedia |
131 | Il Sangue verde | Wikipedia |
132 | Immigrants (1948 film) | Wikipedia |
133 | Immigrants (L.A. Dolce Vita) | IMDB |
134 | Immigration Battle | Remezcla |
135 | In Vanda’s Room | Wikipedia |
136 | James’ Journey to Jerusalem | Wikipedia |
137 | Katzelmacher | Wikipedia |
138 | L’Italia s’è rotta | Wikipedia |
139 | L’uccello migratore | Wikipedia |
140 | La ciudad |
Spanish Mama
|
141 | La Haine | IMDB |
142 | La maldición de la llorona” |
We Are MITU
|
143 | La Tía Alejandra” |
We Are MITU
|
144 | Lamerica | Wikipedia |
145 | Last Resort (2000) | BFI |
146 | Late Marriage | Wikipedia |
147 | Leo Sonnyboy | Wikipedia |
148 | Lethal Weapon 4 | Wikipedia |
149 | Like Crazy | Ranker |
150 | Living on One Dollar |
Spanish Mama
|
151 | Long Arm of the Law Part 3 | Wikipedia |
152 | Machete | IMDB |
153 | Man at Sea | Wikipedia |
154 | Man of the Year (1971 film) | Wikipedia |
155 | Man Push Cart (2005) | AV Club |
156 | Man’s Heart | Wikipedia |
157 | Massacre Mafia Style | Wikipedia |
158 | Mayrig | Wikipedia |
159 | Mi Familia (My Family) |
We Are MITU
|
160 | Mississippi Masala | EW |
161 | Monsieur Lazhar | Wikipedia |
162 | Moonlighting (film) | Wikipedia |
163 | Mother of Mine | IMDB |
164 | My Beautiful Laundrette | Wikipedia |
165 | My Family (Mi Familia) | EW |
166 | My Son the Fanatic (film) | Wikipedia |
167 | Myna Has Gone | Wikipedia |
168 | Nala Damayanthi | Wikipedia |
169 | Nana Means King | Wikipedia |
170 | New American Girls | Remezcla |
171 | New Friend | Wikipedia |
172 | Nymphomaniac (film) | Wikipedia |
173 | Once You’re Born You Can No Longer Hide | Wikipedia |
174 | Oriundi (film) | Wikipedia |
175 | Ossos | Wikipedia |
176 | Paddington (2014) | BFI |
177 | Palermo or Wolfsburg | Wikipedia |
178 | Paper Marriage | Wikipedia |
179 | Pappa e ciccia | Wikipedia |
180 | Pressure (1976) | BFI |
181 | Pummarò | Wikipedia |
182 | Queenie (miniseries) | Wikipedia |
183 | Ramji Londonwaley | Wikipedia |
184 | Roadtrip Nation: Beyond the Dream | Remezcla |
185 | Russian Disco | Wikipedia |
186 | Salami Aleikum | Wikipedia |
187 | Sallah Shabati | Wikipedia |
188 | Samba (2014 film) | Wikipedia |
189 | Seducing Maarya | Wikipedia |
190 | Serial (Bad) Weddings | Wikipedia |
191 | Silent Nights (film) | Wikipedia |
192 | Simshar (film) | Wikipedia |
193 | Sin País | Remezcla |
194 | Solino | Wikipedia |
195 | Soursweet | Wikipedia |
196 | Spaghetti House | Wikipedia |
197 | Stand and Deliver | IMDB |
198 | Strange Occasion | Wikipedia |
199 | Stroszek (1977) | AV Club |
200 | Sugar (2008) | AV Club |
201 | Terraferma | IMDB |
202 | The Ballad of the Windshield Washers | Wikipedia |
203 | The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel | Ranker |
204 | The Bilingual Lover | Wikipedia |
205 | The Boat Is Full | Wikipedia |
206 | The Cardboard Village | Wikipedia |
207 | The Deserter’s Wife | Wikipedia |
208 | The Emigrants | IMDB |
209 | The Far Country (1986) | Miss Liberty |
210 | The Girl Who Spelled Freedom (1986) | Miss Liberty |
211 | The Girl with the Pistol | Wikipedia |
212 | The Great Man (2014 film) | Wikipedia |
213 | The Hand That Feeds | Remezcla |
214 | The Intouchables | IMDB |
215 | The Journals of Musan | Wikipedia |
216 | The Last Stop (film) | Wikipedia |
217 | The Loser Takes It All | Wikipedia |
218 | The Magnetic Tree | Wikipedia |
219 | The Melon Route | Wikipedia |
220 | The Mongrel | Wikipedia |
221 | The New Land | IMDB |
222 | The Party | IMDB |
223 | The Right Distance | Wikipedia |
224 | The Second Civil War | Ranker |
225 | The Silence of Lorna | IMDB |
226 | The Swissmakers | Wikipedia |
227 | The Terminal | IMDB |
228 | The Wind Blows Round | Wikipedia |
229 | Things from Another World (film) | Wikipedia |
230 | This Night I’ll Possess Your Corpse” |
We Are MITU
|
231 | Three Colours: White | Wikipedia |
232 | Time of the Gypsies | IMDB |
233 | To Rob a Thief | Wikipedia |
234 | Trevico-Turin: Voyage in Fiatnam | Wikipedia |
235 | True North (film) | Wikipedia |
236 | Una Vida, Dos Países | Remezcla |
237 | Underwater Dreams | Remezcla |
238 | Vendetta | Ranker |
239 | Veneno para las hadas” |
We Are MITU
|
240 | Vetri Kodi Kattu | Wikipedia |
241 | West Side Story | IMDB |
242 | Where is the Friend’s Home? |
Film School Rejects
|
243 | Who is Dayani Cristal? | Remezcla |
244 | Words and Sins | Wikipedia |
245 | Yasemin | Wikipedia |
246 | Young Tiger (2014 film) | Wikipedia |
247 | Zozo | Wikipedia |
15 Best Immigrant Film Sources/Lists
Source | Article |
AV Club | Coming to America: 19 movies about U.S. immigration – AV Club film |
AZ Central | Top 10 films about immigrants – AZCentral.com |
BFI | 10 great films about immigration and migrant experience | BFI |
BuzzFeed | 10 Must-See Immigration Related Movies – BuzzFeed |
EW | Here are 11 movies about the immigrant experience | EW.com |
Film School Rejects | 11 Essential Movies About The Lives of Immigrants and Refugees |
IMDB | The Movies About Immigration and Immigrants – IMDb |
Indie Wire | 10 Essential Films About the Immigrant Experience | IndieWire |
Miss Liberty | Pro-immigration: Films & documentaries | MissLiberty.com |
NPR | Arrivals And Departures: Films Explore The Immigrant Experience – NPR |
Ranker | Immigrants In Film | The Best Movies About Immigration – Ranker |
Remezcla | 15 Documentaries About the Experience of Undocumented Immigrants |
Spanish Mama | The Best Resources for Exploring Immigration in Spanish Class |
We Are MITU | 7 Movies That Represent Different Latino Immigration Experiences In … |
Wikipedia | Category:Films about immigration – Wikipedia |