Co-starring Robin Givens
and Malcolm McDowell,
“Dreams” has received
nearly a dozen awards,
including a pair from
the Burbank Film Festival
earlier this month
For producer JoAnn Fakhouri, the challenge of working on Dreams I Never Had began when she read the script in Chicago, weeks before she arrived on set as the film’s co-producer in Los Angeles.
“I was tearing up,” she recalls. “The film focuses on human trafficking, but it also touches on immigration.”
Fortunately, the rewards started accumulating as soon as the film began screening. Since last year, Dreams has received top honors from various festivals in several categories, including achievement, cinematography, supporting actor, and supporting actress.
Earlier this month, the Burbank International Film Festival awarded Best Actor to Iyad Hajjaj (who also produced and directed the film) for his role as the father, and the Dreams took home Best Drama.
DREAMS I NEVER HAD TRAILER
Dreams I Never Had tells the story of Layla, a Middle Eastern girl who is brought to the United States, sequestered in a garage, and forced to do whatever her abductor wishes.
Layla befriends the family’s Mexican gardener and his son while performing household chores, enduring physical abuse, and gradually comprehending her situation by learning about normal American life in magazines pilfered from the home.
The opening scene reveals not only the crime and the suspect, but also the fact that Layla has broken free of her ordeal. Yet, according to Fakhouri, “there’s still a twist at the end,” and it ultimately instills viewers with “a sense of compassion for the characters.”
The cast includes Robin Givens and Malcolm McDowell, who build courtroom suspense as prosecutor and judge. Fidelia Grace, who plays Layla.
Fakhouri became involved with Dreams when she was introduced to Hajjaj by her cousin Nicole in March 2016. At the start of production, she was not familiar with any member of the crew besides the director. Another challenge, no doubt; but with nearly a decade of experience on both sides of the camera, she handled it like a pro.
“I literally walked on set with people I didn’t know,” she recalls. “My duties were to do this, this, this, and I did them, and we achieved what we wanted to do, which was great.”
Another pair of Chicagoans eventually joined the project. Mark Roscoe handled wardrobe, and his sister, Valerie Madvek, did jewelry.
The siblings formerly owned Karen Peak Casting, and Fakhouri knew them from her days as an agent at the start of her career.
Among her duties was the performing the role of Court Reporter Liz, which required her to change into wardrobe and “jump in,” as well as producing and directing the official music video for a song featured in the film.
Blake Alexander Music Video
Besides producing and acting on the set, Fakhouri also directed and produced the official music video for Chicago-based vocalist Blake Alexander’s performance of “Love Again,” a song that was written and produced by Roland Lim III.
A tender piano ballad that peaks with heartfelt emotion, the song underscores the redemption at the center of Dreams I Never Had.
LOVE AGAIN BLAKE ALEXANDER
Ongoing worldwide success
When production began, the creators of Dreams I Never Had were undecided about whether or not to take the film abroad. Parts of the story presented unique difficulties for specific cultures, especially those within the region of the young female character’s home.
“We had to be careful about how he presented certain scenes,” Fakhouri explains. “If it was too graphic or provocative, they’re not going to accept it overseas.”
According to Fakhouri, Hajjaj filmed Dreams’ most extreme situations in a way that elevated them above the usual treatment given to similar scenarios.
“The idea was that he would kind of like pan the camera and fade it and you just hear the stress and anguish from the actor’s voice during a scene that depicts physical abuse,” she says. “Keep it conservative.”
In light of the film’s early success, the solution worked. After premiering in Israel and Italy Dreams I Never Had was acquired by the American company Shoreline Entertainment and has since been screening in Spain and South Korea.
Send your film news to Reel Chicago Editor Dan Patton, dan@reelchicago.com.
