Hen House Documentary Film

Hen House is an independent documentary project about a community of immigrant meatpacking workers in a small Arkansas town who must find creative ways to improve working conditions by thwarting the powerful corporate executives in charge. You can learn more about Magaly Licolli, one of the organizers, here.

Hen House is directed by Julia Rosenheim, produced by Karen Gaytán and Jasmine Szympruch, and edited by Rebecca Blandón. Our collective style of filmmaking emphasizes transparency, trust, and collaboration with subjects to ensure that participants feel autonomy over how their stories are told.

Ahead of our shoot in March, we're raising money for production expenses, such as travel, lodging, and film equipment rentals. We greatly appreciate any amount of money you can give.

Donations over $250 -- we'll show our appreciation by sending you a hand-made ceramic (see examples here).

Please share with anyone who you think will be interested in supporting this project.

Thank you very much.

Julia Rosenheim is a documentary filmmaker based in Brooklyn, NY. Julia’s films focus on influential people and memorable stories. Her lyrical documentary style values detail, character, and complexity — honoring the depth of issues and peoples’ full humanity. Julia has also worked as an associate producer on a number of critically-acclaimed documentary projects for HBO and Netflix.

Jasmine Szympruch (she/they) is a queer artist-activist & communal storyteller from the Rocky Mountain region devoted to unearthing varied perspectives of reclamation and joy. With a multifaceted background in the arts, Jasmine has spent over a decade producing, directing, and performing in pieces for the camera and the stage. Some of her work can be found here.

Karen Gaytán is a documentary film producer and the co-founder of the Laredo Film Society. She graduated from Texas State University where she studied sociology, philosophy, and media studies. She works closely with the River Pierce Foundation and was the artist-in-residence in San Ygnacio, TX, covering the impact of Alzheimer’s along the South Texas-Mexico border in partnership with the University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley. The last documentary she worked on, To the End, premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. She currently splits her time between Laredo, TX and New York City where she works as an associate producer for National Geographic’s documentary series Science Fair

Rebecca Blandón is a Nicaraguan-American documentary filmmaker and editor from the Bronx, NY. She has worked for PBS Frontline and The New York Times on investigative documentaries, and most recently for The Boston Globe as a video journalist. She is passionate about investigative and character-driven stories that honor individuals and communities often overlooked or misrepresented in popular media. As an editor, she hopes to make what is invisible visible through the practice of compassionate storytelling, accountability journalism, and documentary filmmaking.