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MONEY
Did you know
Shot for just $2.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
MoodPlayr · trivia#01
The Golden Dream
2013 1h 50m ES
👍
6.9
SOLID
★6.9TMDB · 159
Drama
Synopsis
Spoiler shield
A group of Central-American teen-agers depart from the slums of Guatemala City escaping poverty and violence, towards the promised land of California.
“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”
Where to watch · US
Cast
Karen Martínez
Sara
Rodolfo Domínguez
Chauk
Brandon López
Juan
Carlos Chajon
Samuel
Héctor Tahuite
Luis Alberti
Hombre con Machete
Ramón Medina
Gilberto Barraza
Coyote
Credits
Behind the camera
- Director
- Diego Quemada-Díez
- Writers
- Gibrán Portela, Lucía Carreras, Diego Quemada-Díez
- Languages
- Spanish
- Countries
- Guatemala, Mexico, Spain
Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.
Did you know?
Fun facts 🍿
2 / 8
ERA
Did you know
Released 13 years ago.
MoodPlayr · trivia#02
3 / 8
WORLD
Did you know
International production across 3 countries: Guatemala, Mexico, Spain.
MoodPlayr · trivia#03
4 / 8
ERA
Did you know
Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
MoodPlayr · trivia#04
5 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Directed by Diego Quemada-Díez, shot by María Secco. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
MoodPlayr · trivia#05
6 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Original score by Jacobo Lieberman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
MoodPlayr · trivia#06
7 / 8
CAST
Did you know
Karen Martínez and Rodolfo Domínguez and Brandon López carry the top of the cast.
MoodPlayr · trivia#07
8 / 8
WILD
Did you know
IMDB entry: tt2042583 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
MoodPlayr · trivia#08
Cinephile deep dive
The take
Diego Quemada-Díez directs. María Secco behind the camera. Jacobo Lieberman scores. Produced in Guatemala, Mexico, Spain. Dialogue in Spanish.
Trivia
Things worth knowing
- 1Shot for just $2.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
- 2Released 13 years ago.
- 3International production across 3 countries: Guatemala, Mexico, Spain.
- 4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
- 5Directed by Diego Quemada-Díez, shot by María Secco. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
- 6Original score by Jacobo Lieberman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
- 7Karen Martínez and Rodolfo Domínguez and Brandon López carry the top of the cast.
- 8IMDB entry: tt2042583 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
The technical file
- Cinematography
- María Secco
- Original score
- Jacobo Lieberman
- Production design
- Carlos Y. Jacques
- Makeup / hair
- Iñaki Legaspi
- Runtime
- 110 min · 1h 50m
- Status
- Released
- Budget
- $2,500,000
- Original language
- ES
Awards
- Ariel Award for Best Picture
Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.
Also by
Diego Quemada-Díez
Production companies
Who made it
Animal de Luz Films
MX
Machete Producciones
MX
- CA
Castafiore Films
ES
Key crew
- CastingNatalia Beristáin
- Set DecorationVanessa Ortega
- Makeup ArtistIñaki Legaspi
- Set DecorationCarla Cat Garcia
- ProducerInna Payán
- Script SupervisorCarmiña Carballal
- Production DesignCarlos Y. Jacques
- ProducerEdher Campos
- Art DirectionLuis Figueroa Yábar
- ProducerLuis Salinas
Themes & keywords
What it's about, really
- grave
- immigrant experience
- cautionary
- serious
Release history · US
When it landed
- Theatrical2015-09-04
Also known as
International titles
- The Golden CageGB
- 我要去美国TW
- GullburetNO
