Meet Houston filmmaker Jesse Salmeron
Courtney Bowen
The Signal
A young man has it all, and then has to face losing it all because of his status in society.
Jesse Salmeron is the director and writer of “Dreamer,” a fictional account of real-life drama for children of illegal immigrants growing up in the U.S. in fear of being found and deported.
Salmeron says he was motivated to tell this story after the DREAM Act came so close to passing, but did not.
Dreamers, as they are referred to in the film, are undocumented children brought into the U.S. by their guardians, who either crossed borders illegally or remained here after their visas expired.
The DREAM Act, a proposed bill for “Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors,” gives them hope of what they could accomplish if they earned citizenship on their own merits.
“It’s really a sad situation,” Salmeron said. “I was undocumented until we received protective status, because we came during the Salvadorian Civil War. Originally I was unaware of it until later on, what that meant, but my mom managed to document us. And now I am a permanent resident, but I can’t imagine there are 13- and 14-year-olds who are aware of their status. You know it’s tough enough being a teenager, but also to have that at the back of your mind, it must be torturing.”
His family fled El Salvador when he was 3 years old, Salmeron grew up in Houston and attended the University of Houston. He had difficulty settling on a major until he began taking English classes as his electives. Then every class he took at UH was either film, theater or English.
“I think it’s because I love literature so much,” Salmeron said. “Literature is just about the human condition and realizing that struggle is just a part of life, and that there are a lot of great moments along the way. You come out stronger and a better person afterwards.”
He graduated in 2004 with an English/creative writing major and a minor in theater. As a first-generation college student, he considered his education “the greatest accomplishment” of his life, having learned “with some really great people,” including Edward Albee and the late David Stern.
“Dreamer” will be Salmeron’s third film and second narrative film, though it has not gone into production yet. Salmeron premiered the first snippet of the trailer for the movie, which included a voice-over reciting of Langston Hughes’ poem “Harlem (Dream Deferred)” at “Dreamer: Meet Filmmaker Jesse Salmeron,” held in the Garden Room Sept. 15 as part of a series of events celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month.
The event started with a presentation from Christine Kovic, associate professor of anthropology, to acquaint the audience with the dilemma faced by Dreamers, and then Salmeron answered questions as well as commented when people shared their own experiences.
“Every time I meet a Dreamer, every time I speak at a school, I always hear these great stories that make me want to go home and hide and write,” Salmeron said. “There’s so many out there. I definitely want to tackle some more topics.”
He also discussed filmmaking and writing.
“He draws directly on his experiences and passion to make his films,” said Charlotte Haney, visiting lecturer in anthropology and cross-cultural studies. “‘Dreamer’ is exciting because of the message but also because it will be his first well-funded, well-acted film – so we will get a chance to see his maturing work.”
