“The Absence of Eden” is a film starring Zoe Saldaña that aims to challenge the stereotypes and misconceptions surrounding immigration. At the Taormina Film Festival in Italy, Saldaña discussed the film and its themes during a panel with her husband, Marco Perego – who is making his feature film director debut – and the film’s producers.

The political thriller is set on the southern border of the United States and tells the story of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who teams up with an undocumented immigrant to save the life of an innocent girl. Saldaña plays the undocumented immigrant in the film, according to USAToday’s publication.

In an interview with Variety, Saldaña mentioned that although the film began as an art project, immigration-related politics are inevitable. She expressed pride in being an Afro-Caribbean Latina and pointed out that Latinos play a significant role in the American economy. Saldaña emphasized that Latinos are achieving success in various economic areas by buying homes, starting businesses and enrolling in school at higher rates. However, she stressed that the narrative about Latinos in the media is often negative.

“Put a news network on and you’ll hear a conversation, you’ll hear a headline having to do with immigration”, she said during a panel with her husband and the film’s producers. “I think that the topic of immigration is a very multi-layered topic. It’s very complex, and it’s not right or wrong, good or bad, left or right. It’s a human problem”, according to the article.

Saldaña also shared her personal connection to immigration, mentioning that her grandmother immigrated to the United States for political reasons after the murder of Rafael Trujillo in the Dominican Republic.

In addition to Zoe Saldaña, the cast of “The Absence of Eden” includes Adria Arjona and Garrett Hedlund. The film seeks to address the complexity of immigration and challenge the negative representation of Latinos in the media.