Film Synopsis and History of Film

Over the past four decades, Isaiah Zagar has covered more than 50,000 square feet of Philadelphia with stunning mosaic murals. In A Dream is a documentary feature film that chronicles his work and his tumultuous relationship with his wife, Julia. It follows the Zagars as their marriage implodes and a harrowing new chapter in their life unfolds.


Jeremiah Zagar was born in South Philadelphia in 1981. The first film he saw in the theater was Love Stinks by Mel Brooks, in which he loved and has led to his passion for almost every movie he has seen in theater since. At the age of 15, Jeremiah got his first job in film as a telemarketer in the mail order section of TLA Video, but was unable to maintain the job and its responsibilities due to his flagrant dyslexia. However, Jeremiah was left with a free unlimited membership to TLA. That summer, he felt as if he was in heaven with being able to watch at least three movies a night by some of the greatest directors.

In A Dream is his first feature length film, whose initial idea was inspired by his mother that asked him to film his father. With Jeremiah trusting her more than anyone else, he asked his father, Isaiah, to share stories of his life, his secrets on camera. When Isaiah opened up with very personal stories, Jeremiah knew he might have something special. The film began production in 2001. He began filming whenever he was in town. Since he was off in college, this consisted of occasional visits for holidays, birthdays, etc. This went on for a few years before the family hit the troubling times seen in the film. This is when Jeremiah realized he had something bigger and brought in more people to make the film what it is today. The intent of the film was to capture different moments within Isaiah’s life, with almost a mosaic of different formats used to portray moments in time, reminiscent of the beauty and diversity found within the crafting of Isaiah’s mosaic murals. The 1930’s are portrayed in black and white, the 70’s in saturated super-8, the ‘80s in muddy Betacam and recent footage in HD. Thanks to the help support of IndiePix, International Film Circuit and HBO, In A Dream was able to become a major production.

The film has screened in many film festivals already. It premiered at South by Southwest on March 9th, 2008, winning the Emerging Visions Audience Award. Since then it has screened and won awards at Woodstock Film Festival, Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, Philadelphia Film Festival, Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, Salem Film Festival, and San Francisco Documentary Festival. It has played in many more festivals and continues to have upcoming screening across the country.

With the success and enjoyment of making In A Dream, Jeremiah hopes to make many more films to come. He is currently working on a documentary with his lifelong friend and producer Jeremy Yaches, and Executive producers Ross Kauffman and Geraln White Dreyfus. Wait For Me, is a documentary film about a young man who disappeared twenty years ago and the mother who waits for him still. Another project Jeremiah, and producer Jeremy, are working on is going back to India, where he made his first short doc about the largest clinic and orphanage for untouchables in Delhi. He feels there is a much bigger and fascinating story there that was not fully developed within his 12 minute film, made while still in college.


Official Trailer


IN A DREAM: Theatrical Trailer from Herzliya Films on Vimeo.