Film shoots to make dream happen for 2 Tucson women
by Dalina Castellanos on Jul. 12, 2007, under Calendar
Charis Ober (left) and Anne Sarabia, founders of SavetheCordFoundation.org, are featured in Josh Golder's "Dream."
Becoming a rock star. Finding the cure for cancer. Ending the war.
Some dreams are attainable – with a little help.
Two Tucson women are trying to achieve theirs in part by being the first cast in the documentary “Dream.”
The film follows a diverse group of people from around the country who have a dream and are taking steps to achieve it.
Tucsonans Charis Ober and Anne Sarabia have teamed with Executive Producer Josh Golder of Dream Realization Media to communicate their dream – educating the community about umbilical cord blood and the benefits of saving. Theirs is one of six stories in the doc.
“We’re going to change the world with our message,” Ober says. “We’re going to change the standard of care for women, and we want to put the message of Save the Cord on the lips of every man, woman and child in the world.”
The women left successful biotechnology jobs to launch SavetheCordFoundation.org, which provides information and resources about saving umbilical cord blood.
According to their Web site, cord blood is a natural, controversy-free method of acquiring of stem cells, which have a unique ability to develop into other cell types.
One of the many uses is the possible replacement of bone marrow for cord blood, which, if banked, could be readily available at any time it is needed, unlike marrow.
The women had the project on their minds for a while and knew it had the potential to become something bigger.
While in Boston for a biotech conference in May, Ober and Sarabia began a conversation with Golder and some friends about their goal.
“We kept talking to them about (Save the Cord), and he started to talk about his projects, and before we knew it, it was 3 in the morning, we’re eating pizza with them and watching his first documentary,” Sarabia recalls.
And then it began.
“I was blown away with their cord blood foundation,” Golder says in a telephone interview from Boston.
“And they had become so focused on their dream being to make a difference with cord blood.”
Golder came up with the concept for the documentary six months before meeting Ober and Sarabia, but he knew right away that their goal was perfect for his venture.
“I’m featuring these remarkable women in ‘Dream’ because the foundation is a perfect example of overcoming obstacles and enriching people’s lives,” he says.
And Golder knows a thing or two about obstacles.
He was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease as a teenager and decided early on to set goals for himself.
At age 14, he weighed only 93 pounds at 5 foot 9. But Golder didn’t allow the disease to take over his body.
He set a goal to get in shape. After achieving that, he opened a fitness studio and went on to produce “True Guts,” a documentary about Crohn’s disease and colitis.
“Dream” differs from his previous work because it is a multimedia project. Aside from the film, which will be the first in a series, a book and Web site will be dedicated to the dreamers and their journeys.
“We have a camera now, so we’re going to be doing a video diary every week that will highlight all of the milestones that have taken place during that week,” Ober says. The video diaries are in addition to what the film crew captures.
Twelve cities around the country were asked to submit dreams in the first round, and each is as unique and distinctive as the people who submitted it.
“Our dream, we think, is a little crazy and big,” Sarabia says.
“It fits him, and when we met him (we realized) his passion for ‘Dream’ and creating this documentary is as big and wild as our dream is to save the cord and Save the Cord Foundation.”
The film will be released throughout December 2007 and January 2008. Ober said she thinks Golder chose to release it around New Year’s because that’s when most people want to make changes in their lives.
“The number one thing that I want to teach Americans is that it is so important to have a dream,” Golder says. “Anyone can accomplish their dream. Just look at the people in the film.”
