Last September, Rausch gave them point-and-shoot video cameras and asked that they use them to document their lives.

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Maura Murray had just gotten engaged to Rausch, her college sweetheart and an Army lieutenant stationed in Oklahoma.

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All three are undocumented teenagers from Mexico who are living with family members in East Los Angeles, Rausch said.

CNN: Vimeo film project empowers illegal immigrants

Three "Dreamers" caught Rausch's attention when they shared their life stories with him last year in a private meeting.

CNN: Vimeo film project empowers illegal immigrants

The closest Leverkusen came to scoring was when Stefan Kiessling's second-half effort was cleared off the line by Konstantin Rausch.

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"I quickly realized that the technology is there, that each individual is becoming his or her own journalist, " Rausch said.

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Rausch saw a film taking shape from the narratives of the man and the two young women but couldn't figure out how to construct it.

CNN: Vimeo film project empowers illegal immigrants

This approach, Rausch believes, is in keeping with our mobile digital age, in which every person with a smartphone or a Flip camera is a potential journalist.

CNN: Vimeo film project empowers illegal immigrants

But after winning the award, Rausch felt guilty.

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"What were saying is, look, we need to operate harmoniously with our neighbors and we're willing to subject ourselves to more regulations, whether we like it or whether we agree with it or not, " PXP Vice President Steve Rausch said.

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