The Film
Seven river activists, devastated forty years earlier by the drowning of the Stanislaus River behind a boondoggle dam, must rekindle their trust in each other for one last chance to revive the river, and their broken hearts.
Reclaiming Estanislao, a narrative feature film, tells the true story of the campaign to save the Stanislaus River near Yosemite, in the 1970s, tapping fiction to show that it is never too late to right a terrible wrong.
Find the Pitch Deck here.
To get a taste of our intended moods and visuals, take a look at our Sizzle Reel here.
As of early 2024
The script is completed and the budget is baselined at $1.2 million. We have conducted interviews for key crew members and engaged researchers and sponsors. Grant applications have been submitted and fundraising platforms are posted on the Support the Film page. We are reaching out to co-production partners as well as investigating film incentives per locations. We have secured our fiscal sponsor for tax-deductions for our donors and can offer tax incentives for our investors.
Filming will begin once adequate funds are raised. Please donate to keep this momentum going. Find out how on the Support the Film page. We will invite major contributors to take part in the production of the film and will acknowledge your vital role in the film credits.
This project is much more than a film. Sue Knaup, who joined the campaign to save the Stanislaus in 1979 at age 15, began writing the screenplay in 2019 as a promise to her dear friend, Mark Dubois, a leader of the original campaign. It was time to tell this story to inspire activists to fight for natural places. Already, the film is inspiring a new push to restore the very river it is about.
Film Team
Sue Knaup – Executive Producer and Screenwriter – was 15 in 1979 when she joined the campaign. The loss of the Stanislaus shaped her into the activist she is today. She is the founder and executive director of One Street, an international nonprofit serving leaders of bicycle, community, and environmental organizations. Her specialty is coaching activists on effective campaign planning, often tapping the lessons she learned during the Stanislaus campaign. For more than 40 years, Sue has led nonprofits in the fields of animal rights, environment, special populations, and bicycle advocacy. During that time, she also worked as a river guide, owned a bicycle shop, and taught a university course on social change with bicycles. Sue is the author of four published books and now a screenplay.
Art Arutyunyan – Director – Art Arutyunyan is a Los Angeles-based filmmaker specializing in meaningful films. Born in Uzbekistan, he was originally trained as a fashion designer. After moving to LA in the late nineties, Art transitioned to film production as writer, director, and producer. Art's films have placed as finalists in multiple film festivals worldwide. Several have been distributed worldwide on VOD, cable, DVD/Blu-Ray, and streaming apps. Art's film Funeral is part of the Film Fund's auteur collection. His scripts have won the London International Screenwriting Competition, placed quarterfinalist at ScreenCraft, and landed in the top 10% at the Academy Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting, several going on to be optioned and produced. Currently, Art is developing various TV pilots, series, and feature film projects, including Reclaiming Estanislao.
Eric Michael Kochmer – Line Producer – has been with the film collective We Make Movies (WMM) since 2010. WMM is active in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York City. In his role as VP of Content, Eric regularly consults on films, series, internet projects, and branded content. As a producer, line producer, and associate producer, Eric has worked on over 70 short films, numerous television episodes, and a handful of feature films. He made his directorial debut in 2014 with the feature film Way Down In Chinatown and has since directed three more features, four series, and a variety of short films.
Who/what/where is Estanislao?
Estanislao, whose native name was Cucunuchi, was a member and leader of the Lakisamni tribe of the Yokuts people of northern California. He led his people, and those from other tribes, in revolt against the Mexican government and mission establishments.Estanislao was born about 1798 on the banks of the Stanislaus River. In 1821 he and his family moved to Mission San José where he was baptized with the name Estanislao (Spanish for Stanislaus). He could read and write and stood out among the leaders of other Central California Indian tribes.
In 1827, Estanislao left the mission with about 400 followers. The group raided missions and Mexican settlements, first along the coast and then in the area of the Stanislaus River. They were joined by other tribes and soon numbered 4,000. Estanislao educated his freedom fights in battle techniques he had learned from Spanish and Mexican soldiers including trenches, palisades, and guerilla warfare.
His raids were characterized as sudden, usually involving a trap and avoiding killing those they attacked. He liked to use his sword to carve his initial S as he left the scene and thus inspired the character Zorro. The Stanislaus River and Stanislaus County are named in his honor.
Sue named this film Reclaiming Estanislao because not only does it reclaim the river, it reclaims the spirit of Estanislao in the activists, the river-freedom fighters who fought for it.
The image is of the statue honoring Estanislao in Modesto, California.
