Fresno writers and theater producers Christine Autrand Mitchell and Jaguar Bennett have founded a new Fresno-based film company, Entandem Productions (www.EntandemProd.com and http://myspace.com/entandemproductions), dedicated to creating original films that are shot and produced in the San Joaquin Valley and feature local talent both behind and in front of the camera.

Appropriately, Entandem's first film production will be a documentary about Fresno, its history, current growth and possible futures. We feel that Fresno is currently at a special moment in its history -- this was a very small town a short time ago, and now Fresno is poised to become a major metropolis as one of California's fastest growing cities -- and we want to capture this moment while it's happening.

Preliminary filming is about to begin with a series of on-camera interviews of Fresno residents and visitors. We will focus on people from all walks of life and all opinions: the famous and obscure, people who want change and people who want stability, pro-growth and anti-growth, people who love Fresno and people who hate it, people from all ethnic and cultural groups, people in the arts, business, government, religion, education, and anything else we think is relevant.

The resulting documentary will be feature length and intended for major distribution, with presentations at film festivals. Fresno sets an example for any community that wants to control its own destiny. We believe Fresno's story is relevant to all people who want to transform their own community. Our partnership on this project gives it a unique vantage, as Christine is a recent transplant and Jaguar is a native Fresnan and lifelong resident.

This project will be an intriguing opportunity for Fresnans to take stock of their city and a high-profile way for Fresno to present its richness and charm to the world, no longer merely the stop-over point between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

We want you to be a part of this project. Entandem is soliciting help in the following areas:

1. Technical: We're looking for production assistants, camera operators, lighting grips and sound recordists over a six month shooting schedule.

2. Funding: Entandem is soliciting investors for this documentary and future film projects.

3. Subject matter: Would you like to be interviewed for this documentary? Or do you want to recommend a person for an interview?

If you want to get involved, please send an email to query@EntandemProd.com. Thank you for your support.