8 October 2023
A new documentary produced by a Bethel University student brings attention to immigration issues through the perspectives of two different families.
The documentary, titled “Border of Dreams” (“Frontera de Sueños” in Spanish), brings to focus the issue of U.S.-Mexico immigration by juxtaposing the lives of a Guatemalan family who tried to cross the border and failed and a Mexican family who successfully crossed the border and now live in the United States.
Documentary editor and videographer Hana Ko shows children photos on her camera in the highlands of Guatemala. (Courtesy of “Border of Dreams”)
The producer of the film, Soraya Keiser, is a print journalist by trade and managing editor at the Clarion, Bethel’s student news publication. Keiser originally went to Guatemala as part of Bethel’s Textura program for magazine production. The story she wrote there about the Guatemalan family is what eventually became the documentary.
After the class was cut short due to members contracting COVID-19, Keiser and professor Scott Winter secured a grant to return to Guatemala to tell more of the family’s story. “We had a really good story, but didn’t get to do more,” Keiser said.
In October 2022, Keiser and the film crew spent a week with the family in the Guatemalan highlands.
“We immersed ourselves in their lives,” she said. “We went to church with them, saw their meals, and their festivities, too.”
Keiser related specifically how the crew would wake up at 4 in the morning with the family to attend large and lively church celebrations, which often included fireworks.
“Sometimes they would say, ‘There’s no need to film this, this isn’t important,’ but to us it was,” she said.
They also spent several weekends with the Mexican family in the U.S. in July, August and October of 2022.
To make the film accessible to both English- and Spanish-speaking communities, something Keiser said was important to the documentary team, the film features Spanish subtitles when English is being spoken, and English subtitles when Spanish is being spoken.
Keiser, a Pioneer Press intern in the summer of 2022, said she never intended to become a documentarian, but the format grew on her.
“I really enjoy multimedia journalism. The way visuals and audio blend together really engages the audience,” she said.
Soraya Keiser (Courtesy photo)
Keiser said she intends to participate in another Textura magazine production program in January 2024, this time in India, where she hopes to find another documentary opportunity. After graduation, Keiser said she wants to continue international reporting.
The film premieres at 7 p.m. Oct. 12 in Benson Great Hall on the Bethel University campus in Arden Hills.
Keiser said the film was also being shown at other universities across the country and that it had been submitted to several film festivals, such as the Antigua and Barbuda International Film Festival.
The story originally written by Keiser can be found at seektextura.com.
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