The Vertical Border

"The Vertical Border" is about millions of people worldwide who are being uprooted from their homes and communities. Central Americans are fleeing from economic precarity, climate disaster as well as state and criminal violence. Most head towards Mexico and the United States in search of a livable life. The documentary The Vertical Border (Mexico, 2022) looks at what happens when forced migrants demand dignity and rights. How does the United States externalize its borders in an attempt to stop desperate migrants from reaching its territory? How does Mexico cope with the pressures of being a buffer state where displaced populations are trapped in inhospitable limbo? The award winning feature documentary film is directed by Sonja Wolf.

Sonja Wolf holds a PhD in International Politics from Aberystwyth University, UK and is a researcher with the Drug Policy Program at the Center for Economic Research and Teaching (CIDE), Mexico. Her research interests focus on violence, security, and migration, especially in Mexico and Central America. She is the author of Mano Dura: The Politics of Gang Control in El Salvador (University of Texas Press, 2017).