A love story. A struggle for freedom. A tool for change.

Help us use our film TONY & JANINAS AMERICAN WEDDING to reunite Tony and Janina by the 4th of July.

TONY & JANINAS AMERICAN WEDDING is a feature length documentary that gets to the heart of the broken, red tape ridden U.S. immigration system.  After 18 years in America, Tony and Janina Wasilewski's family is torn apart when Janina is deported back to Poland, taking their 6 year old son Brian with her.  Set on the backdrop of the Chicago political scene, and featuring Illinois Congressman Luis Gutierrez at the heart of the immigration reform movement, this film follows the Wasilewski's 3-year struggle to be reunited, as their Senator Barack Obama rises to the Presidency.  

The Story of TONY & JANINA

The day I met the Wasilewski family was the worst day of their lives. Janina has just been informed that she was being deported; Tony immediately started his work to make sure shed get to come back on day. I documented every aspect of their separation, including the devastation of the day Janina and their son Brian left for Poland, Tonys tireless activism, and Janinas efforts to adjust to a country shed left a lifetime ago. My part in this story could have been finished as soon as I'd edited my final frame, but as a mother, wife, filmmaker and an American, I am compelled to help the Wasilewski's restore what this country has taken from them: Their Honor.  They've changed my life, my family's life and touched so many others. Now I want to change theirs. And I have a plan.

The Plan:

We  want to bring Tony and Janina back together by July 4th, and we're determined to put this movie in front of as many influential individuals as possible in order to make this happen.  

Believe in the power of Film and your Word.

The visual, visceral nature of film is more impactful than the most well crafted headline or cleverest op-ed piece. One at a time, we are changing hearts and minds with TONY AND JANINA'S AMERICAN WEDDING by asking average Americans to take a close look at what our broken system has done to the Wasilewski family and thousands of others. This isn't about how you vote or where you live; it's about families being torn apart and laws that deserve a second look.

TONY & JANINA is my fifth documentary. With my production company Ruthless Films I've made explored the heyday of lady wrestlers (LIPSTICK & DYNAMITE), the resilience of people with developmental disabilities (WELCOME TO ANATEVKA), the struggles of those suffering from mental illness and abuse (ALMA), and even celebrated what's wonderful and wacky about where I grew up (WILDWOOD, NJ). However, TONY & JANINA has changed my life in a way I didn't know possible. I'm putting the skills I have to good use, doing everything possible to leverage this film for the benefit of the Wasilewski's and to help them reach their simple goal: to live as a family in their home together.

We finished TONY & JANINA in 2010. We premiered it at Chicago's Gene Siskel Film Center in October of 2010, took home the Jury Prize at the 2010 Chicago International Film Festival, and then immediately took the film on the road to get the word about about this important issue.

The Right Film at the Right Time

This film is a story about a familys struggle, but it is also a very important tool for the Immigration Reform Movement. We must strike while the iron is hot. 

• With the 2012 presidential election looming and politicians like President Obama lining up their talking points, Tony & Janina's story has caught the attention or several members of Congress, the Department of Homeland Security and key leadership of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. Why? Because it clearly illustrates what our broken system does to an American family. We need to get the word out about TONY & JANINA while this is at the forefront of their minds.

• We are poised to be in the national media in the upcoming weeks, and we need your help to facilitate this effort.

• Right now, Congressman Gutierrez is traveling the US working very hard to garner support and give attention to thousands of families in the same position as Tony & Janina.  He, along with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, are applying direct pressure to the President on this issue now.

• President Obama is scheduled to meet with the new President of Poland. If Tony & Janina are on President Obamas mind when that important meeting occurs, we think hell have no choice but to pay attention to their family plight.

What We Need & What You Get

We are trying to raise $10,000. No donation is too small. The funds will be used to set up screenings and get the film into the hands of those who have influence with the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department.  

Your support and contribution can help shine a light on Tony & Janinas story by paying for:

• DVD duplication

• Postage, materials, and DVDs to send to members of Congress & the Obama Administration

• DVDs for interested (and soon-to-be interested) TV outlets

• Economic travel to NY, DC, GA & other immigration battleground states where we already have screenings planned

• A nominal fee for a nationally known and respected PR strategist

• Website & social networking, messaging tools & maintenance

In return for your help, you'll receive our thanks as well as recognition on our website, tickets to screening events, copies of the movie, and copies of other Ruthless Films documentaries, depending on your level of contribution. Most of all, you'll know that you've helped use do everything we can to bring a family back together.

Help us make noise!

This is a truly grass roots effort. Every cent contributed helps, but just as valuable is every time YOU spread the word. If you care about this family, immigration reform, human rights, and the rights of children, please help us get the word out.

• Forward a link to this campaign to your friends, and let them know when you have donated.

• Share it on your Facebook page.

• Tweet about it.

• Blog about it. (Wed be happy to provide clips or do an interview for your blog.)

Heres where weve taken TONY & JANINA on our own; imagine what we could do next with YOUR help:

• Chicago Film Festival Premiere - Oct 2010 (Winner Chicago Jury Award)
• Chicago Theatrical Premiere at Gene Siskel Film Center - October 2010
• University screenings at UNC-Chapel Hill NC, Agnes Scott College Atlanta GA, Wake Forest University Winston-Salem NC, DePaul University Chicago IL, John Marshall Law School Chicago IL, George Washington University Law School Washington DC, and more
• Partnership screenings with ICIRR (Chicago), Reform Immigration for America / Center for Community Change, MIRA Coalition and the National Conference for Immigrant Integration (Boston), and Las Americas United Methodist Church (Des Moines, IA)
• Featured video on Center for Community Change's "We Are America"
• Public Television broadcast on WTTW Chicago - November 11, 2010
• Screening on Capitol Hill on Dec 8, 2010, presented by Rep Mike Quigley, in partnership with Reform Immigration for America and Center for Community Change
• Interview with NPR / Sirius radio host BOB EDWARDS on WEEKEND show - Feb 2011
• Bellingham WA Human Rights Film Festival Feb 2011
• Bipartisan screening / panel discussion with Georgia Womens Caucus in honor of International Womens Day March 2011
• The National House Party campaign, in partnership with Reform Immigration for America, started helping us set up screenings in March 2011
• Special Screening at Center for American Progress April 26, 2011
• 3 day tour of Connecticut in partnership with United Action CT April 27/28, 2011
• 8 city tour of Michigan in partnership with Alliance for Immigrant Rights - May 2011
  

What the press has to say about TONY & JANINA'S AMERICAN WEDDING:

• "83 minutes you will never forgetgraphic, often wrenching understanding of external trauma breaking families apart. Deeply movingputs a human face on the crushing hazards that the deported and their families suffer every year." ~ Examiner.com

• "A Poignant tale of deportation" ~ Arizona Republic
• "Real lives with heartbreaking dramaour immigration system needs overhauling" ~ Chicago Sun Times
• "Heartbreak American style" ~ Chicago Tribune
• "Shows how Byzantine & Arbitrary our immigration system is." ~ Chicago Reader
• "Emotionally Urgent" ~ Chicago International Film Festival
• "Tackles head on the darkness that is too often associated with families split up by deportation." ~ Undocumented.tv
• "A must see for anyone who doesn't understand why our broken immigration laws need to be fixed." ~ Mathew Kolken, immigrationlaw. com blog

Stay up to date on accomplishments and tour information on our website, on Twitter, and on Facebook. 

Thank you in advance for being a part of our efforts to bring Tony and Janina's family back together.