The Infiltrators

Landing yourself in an immigrant detention center on purpose takes genuine courage. The documentary The Infiltrators shows how in 2012, two activists, Marco Saavedra and Viridiana Martinez, did just that, and managed to record much of their Kafkaesque experience. Saavedra and Martinez were both undocumented, so when they got themselves detained by the U.S. Border Patrol and thrown into the Broward Transitional Center in Pompano Beach, Florida, they faced real danger. But they had a mission: Help get the detainees already inside the facility released. As Saavedra and Martinez connected the undocumented people inside with their organization, the National Immigrant Youth Alliance, NIYA acted as a sort of mission-control on the outside and a film crew rolled their cameras. It took two directors with two very different styles (one known for cyberpunk action, the other for documentaries) to stitch the resulting footage into a cohesive film. Thanks to its distinctive blend of styles, a mix of raw documentary footage and dramatic recreations, The Infiltrators is a unique and fascinating piece of media for those concerned with the immigration crisis in America. For a limited time, you can see it in AFI Silver’s Virtual Screening Room. The Infiltrators is available to rent at theinfiltrators.vhx.tv. $10. —Will Lennon

Browse the D.C. Art Bank

Since 1986, the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities has been stocking the D.C. Art Bank with artworks to be displayed in public buildings and other spaces in the city, ranging from paintings, sculptures, and textile works to glass art, photography, and video. The collection now includes more than 3,000 artworks and can be viewed at the Commission’s online museum. The art bank includes work by native D.C. artists whose careers have focused on the region, as well as international artists who spent time in D.C. Among them are household names such as Sam Gilliam, Gene Davis, Jacob Kainen, William Christenberry, and Alma Thomas, along with local art figures including John Gossage, Lou Stovall, Joey Manlapaz, Colin Winterbottom, Chan Chao, Joe Cameron, and Muriel Hasbun. Emerging artists such as Caitlin Teal Price, Adam Davies, Ebtisam Abdulaziz, and Naoko Wowsugi are also represented. Of special note are the artworks that depict D.C. itself; these depictions range from Ben’s Chili Bowl and Georgetown street life to Malcolm X Park and downtown. “These are the pictures of and about our city, and as such are both an important archive and a viewing pleasure,” says the collection’s curator, Sarah Gordon. Gordon will also give an online lecture about the art bank on May 13, sponsored by Photoworks in Glen Echo. The D.C. Art Bank is available to view at dcarts.emuseum.com. Free. —Louis Jacobson