On July 20, 2014, at 1 pm ET, MSNBC and Telemundo will simultaneously broadcast the special one-hour television version of Underwater Dreams, a new documentary film by award-winning filmmaker Mary Mazzio and narrated by actor Michael Peña. The film chronicles the compelling and inspirational story of four teenage boys, the sons of Mexican immigrants, who entered a sophisticated underwater robotics competition, going up against the likes of engineering powerhouse MIT.
This inspiring feat first started when two energetic high school science teachers, on a whim, decided to enter their high school, a Title I school where most of the students live in poverty, into a sophisticated underwater robotics competition sponsored by the NASA and the Office of Naval Research, among others. Only four boys signed up for the competition, but once assembled, with enthusiasm and verve, they started calling oceanic engineers and military contractors for design help. They were advised that their underwater robot would require glass syntactic flotation foam. Short on money, all they could afford was PVC pipe from Home Depot. And some duct tape.
What occurred, when they arrived at the competition to face college teams in matching gear, with robots sponsored by the likes of Exxon Mobil, shaped a legacy that could not have been imagined. A legacy of aspiration. Of activism. Of dreamers.
Underwater Dreams will be a central pillar of NBCUniversal's Hispanic Enterprises new nationwide campaign, Aprender es Triunfar, aimed at closing the Latino student achievement gap, especially in STEM education. In support of reaching many Latino families with this inspirational message, AMC Theatres has committed to hosting 100 community screenings, free of charge, across the U.S. to enable school and non-profit groups to enjoy the film on the big screen this summer and fall.
The film will also be released in AMC theaters starting July 11 in Los Angeles and New York on July 19.
For information about the film: www.UnderwaterDreamsFilm.com