THE GREAT MOTHER now airing on starz

Nora Sandigo became the mother to thousands by chance. She was in her office late one night when two children showed up at her door. Their mother was being deported, leaving their future in question. An immigration activist, Nora knew they had limited options. She acted quickly, becoming the legal guardian of the US-born children, preventing them from becoming “immigration orphans’’—kids trapped in the foster care system legally barred from reuniting with their deported parents. Word of her act grew and six years later, Nora is responsible for nearly 1,000 children. She’s found homes for them, attends parent-teacher conferences on their behalf, delivers food and supplies to the neediest children and does anything else a legal guardian might do. Today, the outcome of the 2016 presidential election weighs heavily on Nora and those she assists. Democratic hopeful Hillary Clinton has declared, "We must keep families together." Republican front-runner Donald Trump, on the other hand, has proposed building a wall between Mexico and the U.S. and promised to deport 11 million undocumented immigrants regardless of the impact it has on the children left behind. With the clock ticking, Sandigo isn’t waiting to see what happens at the election. Instead, she’s taking her fight to Washington, lobbying the Supreme Court which, in April 2016, is expected to rule on a controversial executive action that could drastically alter the landscape of immigration in this country. In the midst of tackling issues of national significance, she has also undertaken a new very personal battle, one she says she will not rest until she wins: the reunion of two American-born children with their deported parents who sent them to live with her because their lives were in danger in Colombia. Through embedding with Sandigo during her day-to-day life, LA GRAN MADRE will provide a deeply personal look at the immigration issue dividing the country and give viewers a first-hand look at the emotional complexities and consequences of deportation.

ABOUT THE FILM

Nora Sandigo became the mother to thousands by chance. She was in her office late one night when two children showed up at her door. Their mother was being deported, leaving their future in question. An immigration activist, Nora knew they had limited options. She acted quickly, becoming the legal guardian of the US-born children, preventing them from becoming “immigration orphans’’—kids trapped in the foster care system legally barred from reuniting with their deported parents. Word of her act grew and six years later, Nora is responsible for nearly 2,000 children.