Notes on Courtwatch

Synopsis

In early summer of 2025, when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials began detaining migrants at their asylum hearings, an ad-hoc network of New Yorkers began showing up to the Kafkaesque court houses. They came to bear witness, share information and express solidarity with immigrants, by accompanying them into their hearings. Through the testimonies and ruminations of courtwatchers, the film asks: What does it mean to witness atrocity? Can the act alone be a form of resistance? What are the psychological impacts of one's inability to help, and the isolation one feels when they witness something most others do not? How do people support their neighbors in an increasingly repressive political landscape?