A Bitter Taste

For director Amy Serrano, The Sugar Babies: The Plight of the Children of Agricultural Workers in the Sugar Industry of the Dominican Republic, which is at the center of two events today, was a film that demanded to be made. Upon learning that thousands of Haitians are smuggled into the Dominican Republic annually to harvest sugar cane under horrific conditions, Serrano visited the island nation. "I had no plans to make the documentary," she writes via e-mail. "However, when I saw what I saw, I could not sleep much, and thus began the writing of a narrative." Telling the tale accurately proved difficult. "Before I knew it, I was silently up against human traffickers, complicit government officials and what I know now is a very powerful industry — sugar," she notes. Still, she persevered because of her belief that until the public learns about these inhumane practices, sugar companies will be under no pressure to end them.

Serrano speaks on the topic at 1 p.m. in the Tivoli Turnhalle on the Auraria campus. She'll also be present at a 7 p.m. Sugar Babies screening at Starz FilmCenter in the Tivoli. Both events are free; to learn more, phone 303-556-2595 or visit http://studentactivities.mscd.edu. A Serrano Q&A appears at blogs.westword.com/latestword.
Thu., March 6, 7 p.m., 2008