Waking Dream
Waking Dream cuts beyond politics to reveal the reality of undocumented
young people working tenaciously for a brighter future in the U.S.
Synopsis
Waking Dream weaves together the stories of six undocumented young people as they sit in limbo between deportation and a path to citizenship. DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) has provided nearly 800,000 undocumented young people a chance to work legally, go to college, start businesses, and pursue the “American Dream.” After DACA is rescinded, Waking Dream follows the unfolding fate of six of these young people as they fight for legal status in the U.S., struggle with the deportation of family members, and pursue their dreams in a country that is trying harder and harder to push them out. They know their fate must go one direction and they are fighting for their future in America.
Director and Producer
Theo Rigby
Producer
Rebekah Fergusson
Director of Photography
Theo Rigby
Editor
Jen Bradwell
Music by
William Ryan Fritch
Sound Recordists
Gerardo Villareal
Rebekah Fergusson
Emile Bokaer
DVD + Streaming for Universities
Easily stream Waking Dream to your University, College, or organization through Kanopy Streaming. Purchase a one or three year license to stream the film to your students in high-definition and share the film across your academic community in just a few clicks.
Dialogue Guide & Lessons
Dialogue Guide
Engaging in dialogue around contentious issues like immigration requires practice and patience. This guide provides tips and resources for preparing yourself and your group to create space for respectful exchange of viewpoints and active listening.
Lessons for Grades 6-12
The classroom-friendly format of Waking Dream affords educators multiple entry points to support an inclusive approach to learning about immigrant experiences in the classroom. Each episode is paired with a lesson that delves deeper into a particular theme that emerges from the stories, engaging students in dialogue and written exercises individually, and as a classroom community, to unpack and digest the complexity of each story.
Waking Dream Event Planning Guide
Plan an event around the Waking Dream series by following our guide.
“Dialogue is a shared inquiry, a way of thinking and reflecting together…a large part of learning this has to do with learning to shift your attitudes about relationships with others, so that we gradually give up the effort to make them understand us, and come to a greater understanding of ourselves and each other.”
~ William Isaac, The Art of Thinking Together
Participant Profiles
Dilan Pedreza
DILAN is a middle school teacher in Richmond, California who came to the U.S. when he was 2 months old. Waking Dream follows Dilan as he makes deeper connections with his students, pursues his dream of becoming a lawyer, and gains “advance parole” permission to travel to Mexico to see his father for the first time in 14 years.
John and James
James and John are 22 year-old Filipino twins with dreams of joining the U.S. Military. Their parents overstayed their visa to escape abject poverty in the Philippines, but they do not become aware of their undocumented status until high school when they try to enlist in the military. Years later, after receiving DACA, they became eligible for “MAVNI,” a special program for immigrants with strategic language skills in the Army that paves the way for expedited citizenship. Waking Dream follows James and John as they await their ship date to basic training and face an uncertain future with recent changes to the “MAVNI” program puts their pathway to citizenship in doubt.
Steve
Steve is Peruvian born, but of Chinese descent. After his house was raided in 2010 by ICE, both of his parents were deported to China, a country they had not lived in for 30 years. Steve was saved from deportation by a publicity campaign led by Senator Dianne Feinstein and shortly after applied for DACA. Waking Dream follows Steve as he attempts to stay close to his parents over the internet, and as his DACA permit nears expiration. He risks being deported back to Peru, a country where he has no family or community.
Rossy
Rossy is a Mexican American poet finishing her PhD in Linguistics and caring for her undocumented mother. With DACA, she is able to apply for a green card through her husband. After passing the first step in applying for permanent residency, we follow the nervous couple as they make their way to an in-person interview. At series end, Rossy attends the hooding ceremony to receive her PhD at the University of Houston, the crowning achievement of her life.
Marisol
Marisol lives in Southern Arizona, 70 miles from the U.S./Mexico border. She graduated at the top of her high school class and watched her peers go on to college. She has a good job which provides health insurance for her two kids with ongoing medical needs. With an undocumented husband working under the table at a farm, Marisol represents one of the most vulnerable undocumented young people if DACA were to disappear.