THE FILM AND FILMMAKERS
¡THINKING GRANDE! Creating California's Mexican Wonderland is about creativity
and conflict and what can happen in this country when you dare to think big.
Mexican immigrant Jose Luis Bonilla's twenty-year struggle to complete his vision of a colossal 'Mexican Disneyland' in rural Santa Barbara County seemed doomed when he gave up because of permit problems and returned home to Zacatecas, Mexico, leaving his dream village and homage to Mexico half-finished.
But hope still smolders. Energized by Bonilla's passion and excited about the cultural reconnection of Mexico with California, Santa Barbara arts activist Patrick Davis is determined to help Bonilla realize his vision and complete the stone village as a sustainable public center for Mexican arts and culture.
The Filmmakers
Director Kevin Bender was born and raised in Oceanside, California. He studied film, English and education at UC Santa Barbara. He recently moved back to southern California after living in Sweden for almost sixteen years, working there as an intercultural communication consultant to major corporations. His previous documentary work includes Ball Talk: Baseball's Voices of Summer, The Golden Decade of Baseball, and True Believers. He now lives in Carlsbad, California with his wife and two daughters.
Edward Hermoza Kramer, Co-Producer/Director and Cinematographer is a 2008 Pacific Southwest Emmy Award-winning producer and director for his cultural documentary Community Band . He was nominated for the same award in 2007 for his documentary about California native Americans, Survival in the Weave- Kumeyaay. Kramer was a 2005 Documentary Fellow at the Latino Producers Academy sponsored by the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP).
Co-Director in Mexico Julio Fons has been nominated as best director for an Ariel, the Mexican equivalent of the Academy Award or Oscar.
Executive Producer Jorge Fons is one of Mexico's most internationally acclaimed film directors, Ariel award winner for best feature film, director of some of Mexico's most popular TV series, and the past president of the Mexican Academy of Film Arts and Sciences. His filmography includes: Director, La Cumbre, El Callejon de los Milagros (Midaq Alley), Rojo Amanecer, Diego Rivera: Vida y Obra, Caridad and many more. His film Midaq Alley has won the most domestic and international awards of any Mexican film.
Executive Producer Patrick Davis was the Executive Director of the Santa Barbara County Arts Commission from 1988 to 2006. In that role and as a public arts advocate, he has contributed invaluably to Santa Barbara county arts, leading to his being called 'one of the most important public figures in the history of Santa Barbara.'
Crew & Credits
Producer & Director: Kevin Bender
Co-Producer, Assistant Director, Cinematographer & Editor: Edward Hermoza Kramer
Co-Director in Mexico: Julio Fons
Associate Producer: Maria Lundgren
Executive Producers: Jorge Fons, Patrick Davis
Cinematography: David L. Brown, Julio Fons, Alexis Rodil
Sound Recording: Alfredo Sanchez Villagomez
This project is made possible, in part, by a grant from the California Council for the Humanities as part of the Council's statewide California Stories Initiative. www.californiastories.org
The California Documentary Project program grant is supported through a partnership between the California Council for the Humanities and the Skirball Foundation. Eight documentary projects received a total of $400,000 to capture the enduring images and sounds of contemporary California life.
The California Documentary Project is an ongoing program of California Stories, a multiyear initiative designed to connect Californians and foster understanding by uncovering personal and community stories that tell the story of today's California. A state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Council has supported and created programs that bring Californians together around their history and culture for more than 25 years.
Media Arts Center San Diego www.mediaartscenter.org is the fiscal sponsor of the Thinking Grande project.
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