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The Roundtable

Oscar nominated short film "A Lien" by David and Sam Cutler-Kreutz drops audience into immigration process

By Sarah LaDuke

Published February 25, 2025 at 11:10 AM EST

Promo image - horizontal poster - for "A Lien"

“A Lien,” written and directed by brothers David and Sam Cutler-Kreutz, drops viewers into the tense and complicated experience that a noncitizen can go through in the U.S. legalization process.

The short film, which is nominated for an Academy Award, follows a young couple navigating their Green Card interview at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office when Immigration and Customs Enforcement - or ICE - makes an unexpected appearance and the afternoon takes a turn for the worse, putting the couple and their young daughter in unexpected danger.

Watch "A Lien" here:

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Sarah LaDuke

Sarah has worked in public radio since 2006. She grew up in Saranac Lake, New York where she worked part-time at Pendragon Theatre all through high school and college. She graduated from UAlbany in 2006 with a BA in English and started at WAMC a few weeks later as a part-time board-op in the control room. Through a series of offered and seized opportunities she is now the Senior Contributing Producer of The Roundtable and Producer of The Book Show. During the main thrust of the Covid-19 pandemic shut-down, Sarah hosted a live Instagram interview program "A Face for Radio Video Series." On it, Sarah spoke with actors, musicians, comedians, and artists about the creative activities they were accomplishing and/or missing. She is on the board of WAM Theatre and lives in Albany, New York with her husband, Paul, and their dog, Doritos.

See stories by Sarah LaDuke

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