“Cooking for the Guatemalan Dream” is a short documentary about 19-year-old chef school student Cecilia Cuc Alonzo, from Cantel, Guatemala. The film explores the lack of positive prospects for many young people living in Guatemala and how immigrating North is often the only option.

DESGUA is a grassroots organization based in Xela which started a restaurant come-chef school called Cafe RED. Cafe RED intends to help 15 young Guatemalans, including Cecilia, to create sustainable careers with unique business models in order to revitalize the local economies surrounding Xela.

For more information visit http://desgua.org/initiatives/cafe-r-e-d/

This short documentary was produced on location in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, by an Actuality Abroad student crew and shot with a Canon XA10.

Actuality Abroad is on the ground with every student crew to oversee production of these short documentaries, providing the services of executive producer, production manager, location scout, additional editing, and whatever else is needed to complete the project.

They are more than a film study abroad program. They are a service learning organization that takes students and young professionals abroad to create media on changemakers in developing communities around the world. Their films spread the word about nonprofits, NGOs and social entrepreneurs who are implementing innovative, new ideas to combat chronic social problems. Find out more about their work and adventures at www.actualityabroad.org

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