2025 New Jersey International Film Festival presents Freeing Juanita - available online starting at midnight and available for 24 hours.
Juanita has been unjustly detained in Reynosa, Mexico for over seven years, accused of a crime she didn’t commit and forced to confess in a language she didn’t understand. This intimate portrait follows Ana and Pedro, Juanita’s aunt and uncle, on their thousand-mile journey from the highlands of Guatemala. With the help of their Maya Chuj community and a network of Maya interpreters, they fight for Juanita’s freedom and demand justice from the Mexican authorities, a cause that became internationally recognized for its defense of migrants’ rights and language justice. (75 minutes)
The Makin Waves Song of the Week is "ICE SS" by the Central Jersey punk act Sally Draper.
