The documentary is now live!
Please go to http://blip.tv/file/3704810 to see the full version online.
It is FREE to view as this is a Not-for-Profit Documentary.
You can also view other information at www.AnUnfinishedDREAM.com.
Special thank you to Spot.us for supporting our efforts.
With great gratitude to you all for making this possible.
Love
Margarita Reyes
Posted by Margarita Reyes on 06/03/10The film "An Unfinished Dream" is still being edited. This Thursday, for example, we are mixing in music and editing the sound.
But today "Scholars for Education" (SFE) in Indiana screened our 20 minute version of An Unfinished DREAM.
From "Scholars for Education"
The organization Scholars For Education (SFE) was formed on the premise to help pass the Dream Act, but we took it several step further. We wanted to stand for something more than just one Act, we wanted to Educate..., and dispel all the misconceptions that are floating around on all issues, and not just on the Dream Act.
Our first task was to organize and develop a strong foundation for our organization, which we did. Now, we are moving forward with trying to educate the public on different issue starting with the Dream Act. We are having a free viewing of the documentary "An Unfinished Dream," by UCLA students.
The documentary will be shown on Tuesday, March 30, 2010 at 6pm,IU South Bend, North Side Room152." Sam with Scholars for Education.
In Los Angeles I had the chance to meet up with Margarita Reyes the force behind An Unfinished Dream. She is working on the film as we speak and I got to see some rough cuts.
There is still a lot of work to be done as Margarita edits the piece down from 130+ minutes down to 90 minutes which is still a rather long project. Which is to say - a lack of footage isn't holding this project back. Rather it's about time. Margarita is workng on this project in spare time after work.
More updates will come and hopefully soon we will hve a 20-minute rough cut of the film.
Posted by Spot. Us on 03/26/10This week is National Coming Out of the Shadows Week for Dream Act students. Taking inspiration from Harvey Milk's campaign for homosexuals to come out and let their friends and family know, Dream Act students across the state and the country are encouraged to let fellow students and teachers know they are impacted by the Dream Act. Our reporter Margarita Reyes continues to work on her documentary "An Unfinished Dream" with our support and the support of others.
Meanwhile, here is some Dream Act related news.
National Coming Out of the Shadows Week
dreamactivist.org
Dream Act students will take March 15th-21st to come out to everyone. Inspired by Harvey Milk. “Brothers and Sisters, you must come out! come out to your parents, come out to your friends, if indeed they are your friends, come out to your neighbors, come out to your fellow workers. Once and for all, let’s break down the myth and destroy the lies and distortions. For your sake, for their sake. For the sake of all the youngsters who’ve been scared by the votes from Dade to Eugene. On the Statue of Liberty it says ‘ Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free.’ In the Declaration of Independence it is written, ‘All men are created equal and endowed with certain unalienable rights.’ For Mr. Briggs and Mrs. Bryant and all the bigots out there, no matter how hard you try, you can never erase those words from the Declaration of Independence! No matter how hard you try you can never chip those words from the base of the Statue of Liberty! That is where America is!” -Harvey Milk
Coming out of the Shadows Week: How to Guide
nysylc.org
Before you get started: If you are nervous about coming out: * Practice, Practice, Practice!: In front of a mirror or with someone with whom you’ve already come out to * Breathe: Breathing is a good thing. When we are nervous, we tend to withhold our breath or breathe heavily. Take a break and be conscious of your breathing. Breathe in and out until you can hear your heart beat normally. This is good for centering yourself and your thoughts. * Protect Yourself o Use only your first name, a nickname or your middle name o Limit the amount of identifying information in your story of self. For example, instead of saying “I live on Elm Street” you say “I live in St. Paul, MN.” o Write your story and have a friend or family member read it. * Know Your Right.
OC Trail of DREAMs Solidarity Walk (CLICK THE MAP FOR INTERACTIVE GRAPHIC OF BUILDINGS IN MID-MARKET) 
A rainy day did not dampen the spirits of Orange County immigration activists who took park in a DREAM Act walk in Downtown Santa Ana.
Eugene City Council Passes Resolution Supporting the DREAM Act
causaoregon.blogspot.com
Last night, the Eugene City Council passed a Resolution supporting the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act.
Editorial: Reaching for a dream
Philadelphia Inquirer
Congress should pass a bill that would give good students who were brought into this country illegally as children by their parents a better chance for success as citizens. Under the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act, a path to citizenship would be provided to these children after they graduate from high school and enroll in college or the military for two years, steps that would help them become productive members of society. Critics argue such action condones or encourages illegal immigration, but that's a narrow-minded view of a much bigger problem. There are at least 12 million illegal immigrants who live and work in the United States. Since most are not returning to their homelands, this country must find a good way to move them to permanent-residency status.
DREAM Week promotes awareness at A&M
thebatt.com
The DREAM Act Group at Texas A&M and the Honduran Student Association have collaborated to present DREAM Week through Friday. Various events have been planned and implemented during the week to raise awareness of the Development Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act. Events completed so far during the week include a vigil at All Faiths Chapel and a panel discussion in Rudder. “DREAM Week is an entire week where we are giving information about the DREAM Act. We’re just trying to bring awareness to Texas A&M about this issue,” said supporter Jose Zelaya.
Mayor Marks (Tallahassee, FL) Supports the DREAM Act 
During Dream Act week of Action, the mayor of Florida's capital shared his support for the DREAM Act.
A New Civil Rights Movement: Undocumented Students for Immigration Reform
The Huffington Post
This week is the beginning of a monthly campaign advocating for the Dream Act organized by undocumented students across the country through the United We Dream Coalition, a national umbrella organization of undocumented student activist groups. According to Nancy, the media relations coordinator for Dream Team LA, the Los Angeles area undocumented student coalition, "Part of the reason for these events is to stress the urgency of the Dream Act. A lot of times people are sympathetic to undocumented students and our issues, but they really don't see the urgency and the reason why we need the Dream Act to pass this year, now, as soon as possible."
Students advocate for DREAM Act
jackcentral.com
During the week of Feb. 22, students in Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan (M.E.Ch.A) joined the rest of the nation in the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act Week of Action. The DREAM Act would help undocumented students who came to the United States before age 16 become legalized by going to college or joining the military.
ACantar Films, Producer of An Unfinished DREAM, & Cimarrones Productions (http://cimarrones.org/) have teamed up to Fundraise for DREAM students this Saturday February 20th, 2010 in Los Angeles.
As the producer of An Unfinished DREAM I wear many hats since this project is a completely independent project. I wanted to update on a few things going on. This week I will be having surgery. I will be out of touch with my online friends for about a week or so but wanted to update you on An Unfinished DREAM. I should be back to working on AUD in about 2 weeks.
For the past month, aside from working on An Unfinished DREAM, I have had the privilege of teaming up with amazing people at Cimarrones Productions to host a fundraiser which will contribute to two students goals of higher education. Below is the information for the event. Some amazing people, bands, and organizations have donated their time and resources to make this happen. A complete list is available on our Facebook invite page:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/event.php?eid=414490450075&ref=ts
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As many of you know, the recent fee hikes have had an immediate effect on all UC & California University Students. DREAM students have been doubly affected because they are not eligible for any sort of financial aid and very few scholarships. Please help us fundraise for Nancy & David.
All proceeds go directly to them.
David is an Undergraduate at UCLA who has had to take this quarter off of school because of tuition hikes which he cannot afford to pay.
Nancy is a Graduate Student at UCLA who is funding her own education.
*If you would like to donate to a specific student please write their name only in the MEMO line of your check or specify at the door.
We hope you will come out and support their dreams of higher education.
EVENT begins at 7pm-10pm.
Las Cafeteras, La Chamba & Los Jornaleros del Norte are performing!
We will have several short film screenings.
Live Music, Food and Drinks.
Solidarity Ink will have a table with shirts for sale. (% of sales go to Nancy & David)
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=78810244169&ref=ts
Xokolatl Cacao, Tea and Coffee House will have their delicious Xocolicious (the best and only real Mexican hot chocolate in town. ) For sale at our event. 50% of proceeds from sales will go to Nancy and David.
http://www.xokolatlcafe.com/
Suggested donation: $25.00
100% of proceeds go directly to students.
Please make out checks to:
"Christian Students of Conscience."
C.S.C. is an official 501(C)(3) public charity and so all donations are fully tax deductible.
C.S.C. will contribute 100% of the funds collected to students.
Subject line: Nancy & David Fundraiser
If you can't make it to the fundraiser but would like to contribute you can mail checks to:
Christian Students of Conscience
c/o Robert Chao Romero
4601 Inglewood Blvd.,#7
Culver City 90230
Hi all,
The documentary is making a lot of progress. Once it is complete, I will post more info on our screenings. I am so proud of the work that has already been put into making this documentary something that will respectfully portray the students involved.
On a side note, we hope that you will join our fan page for An Unfinished DREAM as we post updates daily on our progress or what is happening on a legislative level.
Please link to: http://www.facebook.com/pages/An-Unfinished-DREAM/143800206643?v=photos#/pages/An-Unfinished-DREAM/143800206643?v=wall
Posted by Margarita Reyes on 12/19/09We would like to send a big thank you to all of our donors.
An Unfinished DREAM is scheduled to be screened at a human rights event in March. We will post exact information as soon as it is available to us. We are very excited about this invitation to screen our film on undocumented students.
After 2 years of filming and production we are nearing the homestretch and thank you for your support. Making this film, or any film for that matter, has been a learning experience.
Some of our students have already graduated from college. Stay tuned. We will have their stories and how their lives have changed since we first started this project.
This project has been a labor of love for our production team. We are excited for you to see why we have dedicated the past two years of our lives to this project. I will be posting more blogs to keep you updated on our progress.
Love
Margarita
Posted by Margarita Reyes on 12/08/09
"Gilbert Mejia-Perez came to the United States from Guatemala when he was just 1 year old. Gilbert graduated high school this past spring, and has just begun his freshman year of college. He is in danger of being deported November 3rd.
News!! Our project is almost complete....a few more weeks and we will have our 6th edit complete and be on our way to screening our documentary on DREAM students.
We would like to thank you for supporting our documentary whether it's through posting our trailer, spreading the word or donating.
It has been a long journey as we finish our documentary on DREAM students and the DREAM Act. As we near the finish line for post-production we want to update you on a few things.
We have created a Facebook Fan Page for An Unfinished DREAM. We will post Screenings, Events, etc. for An Unfinished DREAM.
Please join our Fan page at the following link.
http://www.facebook.com/se
We are a not for profit documentary project being produced for educational purposes only.
Thank you so much for your continued support and we'll see you at one of our screenings!!
An Unfinished DREAM Team
www.AnUnfinishedDREAM.com
Spot.Us has a great pitch about the DREAM Act and its impact here in California. The documentary is aptly titled "An Unfinished Dream" and comes from two of the most motivated young reporters we've had the pleasure of working with.
An interesting nuance to their reporting is capturing the lives of those intimately touched by this legislation.
There is a robust conversation taking place right now about the DREAM Act. It includes Orange Citizen, Change.Org's immigration page, Imagine2050, Dream Activist, Dreams to be Heard and more.
We wanted to capture just a snapshot of the conversation happening right now. It is a conversation that we believe Margarita, the young film-maker behind this pitch, can contribute to in a very meaningful way. One only need to watch the trailer to her documentary to be convinced of that. If you agree, please support her work. Every small contribution helps.
But as always context can mean everything. So below are some other YouTube videos and Tweets that Spot.Us was able to find that are relevant to the last few days.
An Unfinished DREAM message to DREAM students
From one DREAM student to another... "one thing they can't take away from you is your education.... miss_paola: Pass the DREAM Act NOW!!!!! It's a human right!
LourdesVazquez: is headed to cover a Rally for the Dream Act at Pike Park. There's a little mexico in Dallas! This young woman stands to be deported in just two days. Listen to her story. ForumDriv: RT @desidreamer: #immigration reform and dream act will greatly help us economy. they can't keep being forgotten, the time is now. DREAM Act 2009 - The blurred Faces of Immigrants
CaraProductions: Immigrant reform is vast yet immediate needs need addressing.. legislation ie dream act, main stream media Stop detaining people already!
samosity: Going to a meeting with a city council person about evaluating the outcomes of potential beneficiaries of the Dream Act.
Susana Mendoza 1st District Illinois House of Reps: The DREAM Act. It's a no-brainer. Watch this Illinois Congressperson to see why:
Last year I met "B," who, like myself, was a UCLA transfer student. Several weeks into my first classes with her, I found out "B" was an undocumented student and was not going to be able to pay for her tuition fees. "B" had come to the United States as a 4-year-old. "B" did not choose to come here; this is her story:
As a high school student, "B" found out that she was not like everyone else. As a matter of fact, she found out that as an undocumented student, she was ineligible to apply for grants and scholarships like her peers. To add insult to injury, she was informed that she could not legally work in order to pay for her tuition.
Though it took her 2 years at a local junior college, "B" was finally accepted to the University California Los Angeles. Her family held fundraisers and bake sales in order to pay for her initial tuition. "B" completed her first year with honors, yet no knowledge of how she could fiscally continue her studies.
"B" and I have shared our family histories and found that there were many similarities. The only difference being that I was born in the United States, and she was not. I don't feel like she should be treated as though she is invisible because of her immigration status. She is one of the kindest, most loyal, and hard working people I know. She is an academic overachiever . She is a volunteer and community organizer who is currently organizing other undocumented workers to form unions in her community.
I am proud to call her my friend and she has inspired me to produce this documentary in order to tell her story.
Margarita
A statement from Andrea:
I first learned of AB540 in college when my friend told me she was unable to apply for financial aid despite her financial need for college. I became more involved after meeting with many AB540 students at my university. I learned about their stories and saw the struggles they had to overcome first hand. Some sold their cars just to pay for tuition, others commuted for more than two hours and worked three jobs.
I have found inspirations through students that with so much less than me have made it to the university and are fighting for others who should not have to go through what they went through. These people have strengthened my resolve to help those less fortunate and shown me how privileged I have been throughout my life.
This is why I believe that the greatest contribution I could make to this society is to spread the word about their struggles to make the world a better place through film and thus this documentary began.
I believe that film can be used for humanitarian purposes and that it can serve good to society. I admire its ability to reach the world and expose the issues that are not known by everyone. The awareness this film raises and helps to enlighten and motivate people as it has for me, because if I can help them with what little I have I know others can become great allies as long as their learn about the struggles of AB540 students.
With this documentary we will empower students, mobilize allies and empower the movement to pass the Dream Act!
