Instagram story viewer> @emmaviewfinder> Posts

Emma V.F.

@emmaviewfinder

undefined

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

Photos by Pulitzer finalist @dee_bx | The questions I get most about making @watercoolerdoc are about access: How did I get the agents to trust me? Did they even know I was filming? The answer is that I didn't try to interact with them. I did my best to be quiet, unobtrusive and consistently present. By the time I started filming in November 2025, agents were used to being photographed because journalists like @dee_bx @carolguzy @qsakamaki @dean.l.moses @anamariaariza and many more had been tirelessly covering 26 Federal Plaza for many months. I am really grateful to them for their work and camaraderie — I learned so much from working alongside them. And I'm grateful for these great photos that show my Canon C500mii is a big camera with a big microphone! The agents knew I was filming, without a doubt, and rarely seemed to care.
.
.
#icewatch #documentary #photojournalism #immigrationcourt #immigration taken in 26 Federal Plaza by @emmaviewfinder

162

0

9 days ago

Feeling grateful that WATER COOLER will premiere in Los Angeles next month at @hollyshorts! Feeling outraged that ICE killed a second person in less than a week yesterday.

@watercoolerdoc is an observational portrait of American fascism and the banality of that evil. As ICE agents wait to make arrests in immigration court, their casual water cooler conversations clash with their severe actions.

Thank you, @hollyshorts, for including the film! August screening details coming soon.
.
.
#documentary #filmfestival #ice #icewatch #filmmaker taken in Hollywood, CA by @emmaviewfinder

58

2

11 days ago

So grateful for this incredible recognition of WATER COOLER in the desert. Thank you, @psfilmfest. Launching this new film account to celebrate, please follow!!

And let's melt ICE 🏜️🧊💦
.
#documentary #filmfestival #icewatch #shortfilm #palmsprings taken in Palm Springs, California by @emmaviewfinder

259

9

19 days ago

Thank you, @psfilmfest 🏜️ I'm really greatful for the wonderful time I had and amazing filmmakers I met in the desert, and I feel deeply honored that WATER COOLER received the Oscar-qualifying Best Documentary Short award. This recognition will help get the film seen more widely in a moment when we should all re-up our outrage over and resistance to ICE. In fact, the day after the awards ceremony, @nymag declared "ICE Won," and the headline broke my heart. It reminded me why I made this film about immigration court, and why I'm now making one about detention centers.

While I was in California for the festival, I drove to Adelanto to scout the ICE detention center there, where four people have died since September. I am still thinking about the detained immigrants in prison uniforms. I hope my films can be one small part of the effort to demand justice for them.

Thank you so much @bctheknight @darcykaywytko for having me in Palm Springs, and to the jury for this honor. by @emmaviewfinder

158

20

25 days ago

Palm Springs, let's go!! WATER COOLER is playing at @psfilmfest on Wednesday, June 24 at 11am in an incredible lineup of short films. There's no better way to beat the heat than watching a chilling documentary in a cool, dark theater, right?!

WATER COOLER is an observational portrait of how the Trump administration has turned immigration courts into deportation traps. As ICE agents wait to arrest their "targets" outside courtrooms, their banal conversations clash with the severity of their actions.

I'm so thrilled for it to be included in this terrific festival!
.
.
#documentary #icewatch #ice #filmmaker #palmsprings taken in Palm Springs, California by @emmaviewfinder

77

9

2 months ago

📣 Hi Californians! My short doc about ICE agents, WATER COOLER, is now streaming in California through June 7 as part of @sfindiefest DocFest. I would love for you to check it out! Tickets for the program called Liminal Strength are $10, which gets you access to my 12-minute film, three other short docs and a Q&A. Link in bio. Please share with friends in the state!! 🌴 taken in San Francisco, California by @emmaviewfinder

52

5

2 months ago

Hey D.C. friends! Please save the date: WATER COOLER will screen at @dcdoxfest on Saturday night, June 13 at Regal Gallery Place. I'm honored to be included in an amazing lineup of docs!

Screening this film in D.C. is not just politically meaningful, it's also a personal milestone: When I started my career in D.C. as a baby journalist at Bloomberg News, Gallery Place was one of my two favorite theaters (RIP E Street Cinema 🤍). Getting to return with my own project is a sweet full-circle moment, and I'd love to share it with you. Tickets are on sale now, link in bio!
.
.
.
#documentary #filmmaker #ice #icewatch #washingtondc taken in Washington, D.C. by @emmaviewfinder

61

4

3 months ago

WATER COOLER's world premiere in Dallas last night! Watching the ICE agents who I've been filming for months up there on a giant screen was surreal. My heart raced, still shaken by their words and actions. The way our government is treating immigrants is cruel and shameful.

But sitting in the theater, I also felt incredibly grateful for my collaborators on this film. @kirlianauras's original score is beautifully gut-wrenching, and I'm honored to feature his music in this project. I loved working with KT Sparks, @wildshapesound and @technemcolor to elevate the visuals and soundscape of the film. And how great is this poster by @adamomaida?! Collaborating with these incredible artists brought me joy in an otherwise bleak filmmaking process. Thank you, team.

And thank you @wearediffdallas for a great screening in a fabulously eclectic block of short films. Please check out @vecinos_unidos_dfw if you are in the Dallas area and want to get involved ❤️‍🔥

WATER COOLER
directed, filmed & edited by @emmaviewfinder
music by @kirlianauras
motion graphics: KT Sparks
color: @technemcolor
sound edit and mix: @wildshapesound
research assistant: @florarozarena
poster design: @adamomaida taken in DIFF Dallas International Film Festival by @emmaviewfinder

200

35

3 months ago

Thrilled to share that my short documentary WATER COOLER will premiere at the Dallas International Film Festival next month. It feels especially meaningful to launch this film in the state with the most immigration courts and ICE detainees in the country. Thank you, @wearediffdallas, for having us.

WATER COOLER is an observational portrait of how the Trump administration has turned immigration courts into deportation traps. As ICE agents wait outside of courtrooms for their "targets," their banal conversations clash with the severity of their actions.

DIFF runs April 23-30 — screening info coming soon!
.
.
#ice #icewatch #documentary #filmfestivals #filmmaking by @emmaviewfinder

79

12

4 months ago

Introducing my new independent short doc, WATER COOLER, about ICE agents on the job at immigration court. I filmed at the notorious 26 Federal Plaza courts in NYC over three months. This teaser reflects the part of federal agents' jobs that we don't see as much in the news: The hours they spend just waiting around for their "targets" before they make detentions and split families apart. Excited to share film screening info soon.

Speaking of families, I'm making this film under the artist name Emma V.F. Hello, personal rebrand! Hello, new IG handle! I've always wanted to incorporate my mom's family name into mine, and making a film about immigration feels like the right time to honor my immigrant grandparents' name in this way. I'll always be awed by the sacrifices they made to live in this country.
.
.
.
#ice #icewatch #immigration #documentary #film by @emmaviewfinder

119

18

4 months ago