Welcome to Independent Lens.
I'm Pete Schwaba.
Between the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq,
the United States has lost the lives of thousands
of brave men and women in uniform.
What you may not know is that
50,000 local Afghani and Iraqi citizens
acted as interpreters during the wars,
putting their lives on the line to assist the efforts of American troops.
Tonight's film is "The Interpreters"
and it follows three of these men
who are considered traitors in their own country.
The film shows that after having
spent years working with American soldiers,
these interpreters and their families
are now trying to flee their native land
for sanctuary in the U.S.
The film's lead character, a gregarious chain smoker
code named Philip Morris worked closely with a soldier
from the Minnesota National Guard named Paul Braun.
Their bond became so close that Braun is now actively trying to
help Philip obtain a Special Immigrant Visa.
These visas are harder and harder to come by
creating resentment in some interpreters
who remain targets of insurgents in their homeland.
"The Interpreters" is co-directed
by Andres Caballero and Sofian Khan.
Both are accomplished directors whose work has been featured
on NPR, PBS, Al Jazeera and The Atlantic.
"The Interpreters" is their second project together
and it starts now.