Expanding Sanctuary
Expanding Sanctuary
Project Phase: Completed 2023
Runtime: 21 min
Immigrant mother Linda Hernandez emerges as a community leader during the historic campaign to end the sharing of the Philadelphia police database with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Expanding Sanctuary tells a rarely told story about a Latinx immigrant community’s successful journey to change legislation and protect families.
How to Watch the Film:
Awards & Nominations
Winner - Philadelphia Filmmaker Award, BlackStar (2024)
Winner - Best Documentary Film, SPE Media Festival (2025)
Winner - Best Documentary, Flick Film Festival (2025)
Winner - Best Documentary Film, Q31 Film Festival (2026)
Special Mention - Emerging Documentary Shorts Contest, March On! Film Festival (2025)
Nominated - Societal Concerns - Long Form Content, Mid-Atlantic Regional Emmy (2026)
Nominated - Best Short Documentary and Spirit of Activism, Nevada Women’s Film Festival (2025)
Select Cast & Crew
Starring: Linda Hernandez | Director & Producer: Kristal Sotomayor
Co-Producer: Marángeli Mejía Rabell | Associate Producer: María Luisa Santos and Selena Yip | Consulting Producer: Neyda Martinez | Impact Producers: Kristal Sotomayor and Maya Winneg
Editor: María Luisa Santos | Consulting Editors: Sabrina Schmidt Gordon and Sarah Garrahan
Screenings & Events
Support Our Screening Tour
Expanding Sanctuary is more than a film—it’s a movement. Your donation helps us bring the film to schools, libraries, grassroots groups, and community spaces—especially in areas where immigrant communities are under attack and conversations around abolition and sanctuary are urgently needed.
Whether it’s $5 or $500, every contribution helps us share this important story and ensure the communities most impacted are centered in the conversation. Donate now to fuel grassroots storytelling and immigrant-led resistance.
Did you know you can also donate airline miles and hotel points to support our travel to screenings and festivals? Email us at films@sotomayorproductions.com
Press
“This is a powerful and moving documentary that highlights grassroots efforts to resist unjust policies and protect vulnerable communities.” — J. Zimmerman, Video Librarian
“Expanding Sanctuary is a success story. And a record of how immigrants changed policy in Philadelphia.” — Peak Johnson, Generocity
“Seeing one person's power to effect change within a community is truly inspiring. At this time in the United States, films that show resilience are important. Great discussion starter for High School and College collections.” — Lorraine Wochna, Educational Media Reviews Online
“I’ll be honest, I came away from my most recent viewing of Sotomayor’s film feeling a bit nostalgic. Not only was it filled with the faces of beloved community members — some of whom have recently stepped away from decades of work helping people see immigrants as human beings, not abstractions — but also because of the intimate specificity of what Expanding Sanctuary celebrates.” — Sabrina Vourvoulias, Philadelphia Inquirer
Distributed By
Supported By
The Velocity Fund administered by Temple Contemporary at Tyler School of Art and Architecture, Temple University with generous funding from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts
The Philadelphia Independent Media Fund administered by Scribe Video Center with funds provided by the Independence Public Media Foundation and the Wyncote Foundation
