In light of the current horrendous, overreaching, cruel, abusive, inhumane ICE issues facing our country, it’s a good time for an encore screening of SIFTer Kristal Sotomayor‘s “Expanding Sanctuary”.
Presented by @AcaciaJustice Date: Wed. February 11, 2026
Time: 8pm Where: Virtual Screening
This is a story about community power and activism that follows immigrant families and grassroots organizers in South Philadelphia as they fight to protect their community from detention, deportation, and displacement. Following the 20-minute short film, stick around for a facilitated discussion with the protagonist, filmmaker, and Acacia team.
POSTED APRIL 2025
“Expanding Sanctuary” A Gripping Latinx Documentary by Award-Winning Director Kristal Sotomayor, To Have Its East Coast Premiere at the BlackStar Film Festival
CONGRATULATIONS KRISTAL!!!
POSTED AUGUST 2024
HAPPY HOUR CELEBRATION @COCKATOO FOR A SUCCESSFUL 1ST YEAR AT SOTOMAYOR PRODUCTIONS
ORIGINAL POST:
Date: August 1, 2024
Time: 1:30pm
Venue: John and Richanda Rhoden Arts Center @ PAFA
Tickets: Expanding Sanctuary BSFF24
The short documentary chronicles the fearless advocacy of immigrant mother Linda Hernandez during the historic campaign to end the sharing of the Philadelphia police database with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The film tells a rarely told story about a Latinx immigrant community’s successful journey to change legislation and protect families.
One of the 6 #BSFF24 Filmmakers Interviewed for @PhillyInquirer "Why They Love Philly" is @KristalSotomayr (SIFTer) her film Expanding Sanctuary screens tomorrow (8/1) 1:30pm – https://t.co/mJRR1uNBcO https://t.co/gVxEWlWuA7 pic.twitter.com/oRS7mqb3I8
— SIFTMedia 215 Collective (@siftmedia215) July 31, 2024
You Are Also Invited to a Special Post-Screening Reception & Happy Hour By Sotomayor Productions
Join Sotomayor Productions and Kristal Sotomayor to celebrate Expanding Sanctuary at Cockatoo in the Gayborhood after our premiere for an evening of festivities. The party will include limited free drinks, special guests from the film, and a performance by the legendary drag queen Phoebe Manntrappe.
POST FROM 2020
We are thrilled to announce the following six projects and participants selected for our 2020 DCTV Docu Work-In-Progress Shorts Lab, our first lab dedicated to short documentary films! Held online due to the pandemic, it will be facilitated by Chloe Gbai with Darius Clark Monroe joining as the guest for the final crit.
| Expanding Sanctuary Immigrant mother Linda Hernandez emerges as a community leader during the historic campaign to end the sharing of the Philadelphia police database with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Expanding Sanctuary tells a rarely told story about a Latinx immigrant community’s successful journey to change legislation and protect families. |
| Kristal Sotomayor, Director/EditorKristal Sotomayor is a bilingual Latinx documentary filmmaker, festival programmer, and freelance journalist based in Philadelphia. Currently, they are in post-production on Expanding Sanctuary, an independent short documentary about the historic end to police surveillance organized by nonprofit Juntos and the Latinx immigrant community in South Philadelphia. Kristal is a 2020 Justice For My Sister Sci-Fi Screenwriting Lab Fellow, 2019 Good Pitch Local: Philadelphia grantee, 2018 Leeway Foundation Art & Change grantee, and 2017 NeXtDoc Fellow. They serve as the Programming Director of the Philadelphia Latino Film Festival and are a Co-Founder of ¡Presente! Media. Formerly, Kristal was the Communications and Outreach Coordinator at Scribe Video Center. Kristal’s journalistic background includes having written for ITVS, AL DÍA, WHYY, and Documentary Magazine. They are a recipient of the Sundance Institute Press Inclusion Initiative, TIFF Media Inclusion Initiative, the inaugural International Documentary Association (IDA) Magazine Editorial Fellowship, and Lenfest Next Generation Fund. More about the DCTV Docu Work-In-Progress Lab |