Fresno has a complicated relationship with its name being used in film and television.<\/p>\n
Seeing \u201cFresno\u201d in quotes conjures memories of Carol Burnett\u2019s 1986 mini-series;<\/a> a hokey soap-opera satire that followed a fictional Central Valley raisin dynasty, and aired under the tag line \u201cthe power … the passion … the produce.\u201d<\/p>\n From the opening scene, the five-part series put the Central Valley at the butt of a joke, at one point having co-star Charles Grodin dangle from downtown water tower, as proof the TV crew actually spent time in town.<\/a> Beloved as it may be in some circles now, it wasn\u2019t the best look for the city, even as it brought in attention from Hollywood (\u201dFresno\u2019s Raisin Lots of Good Times,\u201d<\/a> read one Los Angeles Times story from the time).<\/p>\n So, KP1 Studios<\/a> took a swing when it titled its latest project<\/a> \u201cFresno.\u201d<\/p>\n That anyone would associate the two is sort of funny, says Khetphet \u201cKP\u201d Phagnasay, who is directing and producing the 12-minute short for inclusion in this year\u2019s 168 Film Festival.<\/a> But, social media being what it is, Phagnasay has to be clear, \u201cthis is not a remake.\u201d<\/p>\n There are similarities, in that Phagnasay\u2019s \u201cFresno\u201d is also about a family building its legacy through the rich soil of the Central Valley landscape.<\/p>\n But there\u2019s no satire here.<\/p>\n The script, written by James Lee Beeler<\/a>, is loosely based on the screenwriter\u2019s own family history in the Central Valley in the late 1890s. This is a historical period piece, that follows a Danish immigrant as he settles in the area, alongside a burgeoning Armenian community and the indigenous Yokuts.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the story of what Fresno is,\u201d Phagnasay says.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s my story, too.\u201d<\/p>\n Phagnasay came to the Central Valley in the late 1980s as a Laotian refugee. He graduated from Clovis High School and Fresno State and was active in the area\u2019s theater scene (with Center Stage in Clovis and the now defunct Theater Three in downtown Fresno) before parlaying that into television work.<\/p>\n Along with his current directing and production gigs, Phagnasay is a SAG actor who recently landed roles on some high-profile shows; Netflix\u2019 \u201cMonster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,\u201d<\/a> and AMC\u2019s \u201cInterview With The Vampire\u201d<\/a> (he was in six of eight episodes of season two). He also stared alongside actor Michelle Yeoh in the action comedy \u201cThe Brothers Sun.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cPeople think I have to live in Los Angeles,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019m here. I\u2019m from the Central Valley.\u201d<\/p>\n And his co-workers in Hollywood know it. He\u2019s always wearing a Fresno State hat, or some other piece of gear to show people where he\u2019s from. It\u2019s become a running joke and a kind of nickname with certain showrunners. \u201cThey\u2019ll say, \u2018Hey, Fresno.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going to own it,\u201d Phagnasay says.<\/p>\n \u2018Fresno\u2019 in pre-production<\/p>\n Phagnasay is currently working through storyboards and scouting locations for \u201cFresno,\u201d with his producing partner George Ohan<\/a> (a Syrian immigrant, Army vet and Madera High School graduate).<\/p>\n They\u2019ve already landed on a few spots, like the 100-plus-year-old Bethany Lutheran Church in Kerman.<\/p>\n The film will shoot over a period of three days starting July 11, with a cast and crew of locals, or those with close ties to the area. That includes its just-announced star, Jacob Wilson<\/a>, who grew up in Visalia and acted on stage in Fresno before moving to Los Angeles. He also fronted the Fresno metal band Centerpath<\/a>, as a sidenote.<\/p>\n