The Golden Dream (12A)

Three teenagers jump 'The Beast' - the infamous train that illegal immigrants board to take them from Guatemala, through Mexico, to the American border. 

The journey to a better life is fraught with danger. Facing exploitation at every turn, the only people they can trust on this perilous journey are each other.

Made using improvisational techniques and non-professional actors, The Golden Dream is a piercing and poetic road movie.

Content guidance 
The Golden Dream contains scene of moderate violence and sexual threat. For more information, visit the BBFC. 

This event will begin at the advertised time with no ads or trailers. 

About the Horizons film programme 
Celebrating vibrant, insightful films chosen by five creatives whose own lives have been impacted by migration: the Horizons Festival 2026 Film Programme was produced and facilitated by Nuala Shaar and voted for by Ana Lucía Cuevas, Linnae Yllane, Maryam Nazari and Tina Ramos Ekongo. Read more about their collaborative process. 

What the panel have to say: "Central Americans have a long history of migration stretching back over many decades. Thousands leave their homes to escape violence, poverty and climate disasters, and La Bestia ("The Beast", a network of freight trains that run through Mexico) is one of the most common ways to travel to the United States border. The Golden Dream masterfully immerses us into this extremely perilous journey. Based on extensive research, the film rejects mainstream stereotypes and the common vilification of this phenomenon. By combining gritty realism and authentic performances from non-professional actors, it creates a compassionate portrait of the dangerous realities of migration." – Ana Lucía Cuevas, Horizons Panel Member