The Fence

Acclaimed filmmaker Rory Kennedy examines the aim and effectiveness of the controversial Southern U.S. Border Barrier, a 700 - mile fence erected along the more than 2,000 - mile U.S. - Mexico border. Kennedy follows her title subject through private ranches, protected wilderness, bustling border towns and scrub desert, offering a revealing and surprising look at the story behind its construction and its ultimate impact. This 35-minute documentary takes a humorous look at the absurd ideological contradictions and misinformation that have dogged the fence from its inception. Featuring candid interviews with border patrol guards, ranchers, environmentalists and voices from both sides of the immigration controversy, the film uses humor to highlight the sometimes stark contrast between fact and political opinion. Ultimately, The Fence is a far - reaching and moving analysis of the unanticipated financial, human and environmental costs that such a project brings, wherever it stands.

In October 2006, the United States government authorized the construction of a massive fence stretching seven hundred miles along the border separating the U.S. and Mexico. Proponents of the fence claimed that it would help prevent illegal immigration into the United States and foil drug smuggling. However, three years into the construction project, undocumented aliens are still streaming into America through communities divided by the fence, and drug traffic has not been significantly reduced. The fence also runs through a number of Mexican communities, dividing small towns and school campuses thanks to poor planning, and the construction has had a negative effect on the environment of previously unspoiled territories. The fence is ugly, impractical and ineffective -- so why is America still spending billions on dollars on completing a project that's a failure' Filmmaker Rory Kennedy examines the strange history and sometimes comical consequences of the border project in the documentary THE FENCE; produced for the premium cable network HBO, THE FENCE received its world premiere at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.