Fresno Soul

We are constantly being asked what our film is about. What often arises is Fresno’s self-defeatist attitude of why a film about Fresno? Well, if you see it through our lens, it’s a pretty interesting place with amazing people. Moreover, it’s Any-Growing-City, USA.

We're entering the villages of Fresno -- those pockets like little villages that combine into an economy and complex social structure. We enter these neighborhoods through the hearts and minds of its people to discover how this place is perceived and how its future is being shaped. Not everyone is optimistic.

We’re so lucky to have this insight and we can’t wait to share it with all of you! I wish everyone could get a chance to sit with us as we interview someone. Foremost, because we hear incredible ideas, but also because we’re forced to listen. By listening, we give up our selfish ways for a little while and are rewarded by bits of enlightenment. I’ve decided that communication is an invitation and one must have the patience to listen or it is not effective.

We face many changes in Fresno since our population is expected to double in less than a decade. Are you prepared? Have you thought about this? How will this affect you, your family, your neighbors, your neighborhood, your neighbors across town?

I’ve lived in a city in which the infrastructure failed when its growth exceeded all expectation, all planning, all common sense, and greed prevailed there. (Sounds like a wicked fairy tale, doesn’t it?) Let’s utilize our resources – the most valuable of which are our people! Apathy needs to be banished by us all. Let’s just “do” something, no matter how small it seems. There are many doing something, anything, some do a great deal, many put forth good ideas, plenty more are organizing. (Can you picture the little elves with tiny tools building the future?) Let’s work together to implement those smart growth ideas.

Fresno is perched on something – let it be greatness!