Smuggling Roses (2000) is a short experimental documentary about a young binational couple divided by the U.S.–Mexico border. He lives in Tijuana, she lives in San Diego, and neither can legally cross into the other’s country. On weekends they meet at the border fence, where he brings her a single rose and passes it through the metal gaps—an undeclared act that, technically, becomes “smuggling.” The film examines how the border reshapes love, routine, and the small rituals that keep people connected. This project also made history: it was the first time a film was ever shot on top of the actual border fence, capturing a scene that unfolded in two countries at the same time. I received special permission from U.S. Border Patrol to climb the structure and film from that position. This frame shows one of their intimate “dates,” separated by steel but united through gestures that become their own form of resistance and devotion. The film won several student awards.