Skip to Content
Art

Dream + Act: Film, Videos, and Activism on Immigration @ Self Help Graphics ~ Boyle Heights

 

Freewaves, Self Help Graphics & Art, La Causa and The East LA Society of Film and Arts (TELA SOFA)

present

DREAM + ACT
Film, videos, activism and information on immigration
at Self Help Graphics’ new home

Who has the right to study and work in the U.S.?
When people contribute socially and economically to a society, are they not citizens?
Is there a way for the politically disenfranchised to feasibly gain American citizenship?

On Saturday, April 30, Freewaves, Self Help Graphics & Art, La Causa and TELA SOFA will present DREAM + ACT, a selection of visual art and activism focused on immigration as it relates to communities in Los Angeles and beyond. Through film and video, DREAM + ACT will express multiple visions and viewpoints on the realities of immigration and how it affects us. We aim to build a community of dialogue and bridge the cultural communities in Los Angeles and countries around the globe.

In addition to providing encouragement for film and video makers and activists, this event seeks to promote deeper understanding of our diverse city by presenting a wide array of perspectives on the complex issue of immigration. The community will be able to interact with the filmmakers to further explore the issues addressed.

Program

7:30pm Discussion on the status of immigration and Dream Act organizing
8:30pm Screening of curated short films and videos
9:30pm Q & A with film and videomakers

Mobile silkscreening by Joel Garcia

LOCATION Self Help Graphics & Art 1300 East 1st Street Los Angeles, CA 90033, across from the Metro Gold Line Pico/Aliso Station.

PARKING is limited in the area. We encourage people to take Metro (www.metro.net) and exit at the Gold Line Pico/Aliso Station.

DREAM :: We believe art has the power to inspire, create new possibilities and broaden our perspectives so we can see our community through a different lens.

ACT :: Not content to dream only, together we aim to provoke thought and inspire solutions to the challenge of immigration in this country—a challenge shared by people throughout the world.

///////////////////

DREAM + ACT is a collaboration of TELA SOFA, Freewaves, Self Help Graphics & Art and
La Causa.

TELA SOFA’s mission is to offer a venue for all interested filmmakers, first-time through professional, to explore issues affecting our world today while connecting them with the Hollywood film industry.

Self Help Graphics & Art (SHG) is a nationally recognized center for Latino arts that develops and nurtures artists in printmaking. SHG advances Latino art broadly through programming, exhibitions and outreach to diverse audiences in East Los Angeles and beyond and engages young and emerging artists from the community in all aspects of its activities.

Freewaves is dedicated to the creative exhibition of the most innovative and culturally relevant independent new media from around the world. Freewaves facilitates cross-cultural dialogues by inventing dynamic new media exhibition forms at experimental and established venues throughout Los Angeles.

LA CAUSA (Los Angeles Communities Advocating for Unity, Social Justice, and Action) engages historically disenfranchised young people and their families from East Los Angeles to take action against the injustices that impact low-income communities of color.

QUESTIONS?
info@telasofa.org

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from L.A. TACO

Sunday Taquitos #26: Obnoxious Experienced

Sunday Taquitos! Art by Pulitzer Prize Finalist Ivan Ehlers.

May 10, 2026

Weekend Eats: Sinaloan Hot Dogs Vs. Sonoran Dogos? You Can Have Them Both In L.A.

Plus Chinese-Jamaican cooking in Hollywood, a new torta ahogada specialist, and chef Daniel Patterson's return to fine-dining on Melrose.

May 8, 2026

L.A. TACO Neighborhood Guides: The Fairfax District

Fairfax has Tyler the Creator's preppy emporium, breakfast burritos with smoked potatoes, a Guns N' Roses museum, legendary 3 a.m. pastrami, and one of L.A.'s last remaining newsstands. Plus a neighborhood history by artist Adam Villacin.

Daily Memo: A Push for ‘Quieter’ Immigration Raids and An Increasing Use of Force at Detention Centers

We are also exactly a month away from June 6th, when the Border Patrol arrived in Los Angeles and began the raids that terrorized so many around the country.

Here’s Every Single Death Linked to Immigration Enforcement Since Trump’s Raids Began in 2025

We hope this register offers a moment to remember the names and stories of the victims. For each one, we’ve included the backstory we were able to gather alongside the official account from government agencies.

From Florida to SoCal: The Vietnamese Creator Spotlighting Hidden Gem Restaurants for Millions

Moving to California felt healing—and almost like entering "a new country," says Soy Nguyen. For the first time, she saw Vietnamese and Asian cultures openly embraced, a stark contrast to Florida.

May 5, 2026
See all posts