A documentary about the 2002 railcar deaths of eleven undocumented immigrants found in Iowa is set to air on Iowa Public Television next month. Colleen Krantz and Paul Kakert co-produced the documentary “Train to Nowhere: Inside an Immigrant Death Investigation.” Krantz says the film offers an honest, yet compassionate look at the 2002 railcar deaths.
Krantz worked for the Des Moines Register at the time it all happened, and wanted to continue the story. She says the story stuck in her head, and after she left the paper, she wanted to write a book about it, and in the meantime decided to make a documentary. The documentary takes a journey through the eyes of the victim’s families and understanding the complexities of their personalities and the situation.
The investigation that started back in 2002 continues to this day. Krantz says it is still considered an open case and they were not able to get some of the documents because two of the smugglers have never been tried. She says they were able to get enough docutments to tell the story.
The documentary will air on Tuesday October 12th at 7 p-m on Iowa Public Television. However, advance screenings will take place in Denison on October 2nd, Sunday October 3rd in Johnston and Sunday, October 10th in Davenport.
By Joel McCall, KNOD, Harlan