Synopsis:
Each morning, shrouded by early morning fog, two pairs of hands sort through curbside garbage cans for bottles and cans. Hours before their full time jobs as housekeeper and mechanic, Sr. and Sra. Martinez rise at dawn to gather recyclables destined for the redemption center. They are building an inheritance one nickel at a time for their son at Harvard University on scholarship. A story about one immigrant family's unflagging belief in the American Dream, 'Cleats' is a short film inspired by a true story of sacrifice and dignity, where a family’s humble yet heroic acts help make each other's dreams come true.

Website: http://www.iguanafilms.com
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBQYRlp3EFg

Bio:
MARÍA AGUI CARTER
Writer/Director
María Agui Carter, founder of Iguana Films is currently writing for a new PBS series on Health Disparities in America and writing/directing REBEL, an independent feature historical documentary about a woman soldier of the American Civil War.

A native of Ecuador, María grew up in New York and graduated from Harvard University in 1987. In 1989 she joined the staff at Boston’s public television station, WGBH. She has produced and directed numerous documentaries for WGBH's long- running Latino series LA PLAZA on subjects ranging from folk healers in the Latino community (The Other Doctors, 1989) to the resurgence of modern tango dancing (Tango: Duel and Dance, 2000). María developed and produced for the four-hour CULTURE SHOCK series on national primetime PBS. She scripted, produced, and directed two series of short films for the college educational market on Latin American culture filmed in Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Ecuador, and the Dominican Republic, and other Latin countries. In 2001 she was appointed an Associate Fellow at the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies at Harvard, while producing and directing segments for Roundtable Media for a new series on access to college for underprivileged kids. This three-part series, called College Track, aired in the fall of 2004 on PBS. María writes and lectures at universities and community forums, and has published articles on subjects ranging from women in the Civil War, to Latinos in film. María was a 2002-3 Warren Fellow at Harvard’s History Dept. and a 2003 - 4 Rockefeller Fellow at Tulane University’s Stone Center for Latin American Studies. Maria’s work has won NEA, Mass Cultural Council, Latino Public Broadcasting, and Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities grants. María is a Writer’s Guild/East member, a member of Women in Film and Video New England, on the Executive Board of the Filmmaker’s Collaborative, and a founding board member of the Boston Chapter of the National Association of Latino Independent Producers.

Crew:
Written/ Directed/Edited: Maria Agui Carter
Producer: Sarah Schenck
Cinematography: Edwin Pagan
Original Sound track: Joseph Julian Gonzalez
Production design: Katherine Rusch

Cast:
Brenda Garcia: Mother
Ted Mejia: Father
Christian Ortega: Student

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