“The Long Valley” shines a light on Salinas agriculture community
MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV) -- The Salinas Valley's agriculture and immigrant community are in the spotlight at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.
"The Long Valley," a 13-minute documentary short film, was selected for the festival as one of the 57 shorts selected out of more than 11,000 submissions. Many involved in the project are locals from Monterey County and alumni of CSU Monterey Bay Cinematic Arts and Technology program.
The film focuses on the daily lives of immigrant workers who work as the backbone of one of the state's most vital agriculture regions. Those behind the project say they wanted to highlight them and the landscape of Salinas Valley.
“I feel it shows really nice our culture as hard workers, as an immigrant who come to another country to look for a better future and how they live here, but also dreaming for what it is for the future in their life and the past," "The Long Valley" executive producer Ana Sanchez said.
The team is honored to be selected for the annual film festival. After the first showing at Sundance, the team plans to hold a screening on the Central Coast.
