by 
By John Hernandez
Fuerte Productions, an independent film company, has been filming a motion picture called Blessed Encounters in the Tri-Community area, Tucson and other parts of Arizona for the past year that is nearly done being shot. Alberto C. Ojeda, Fuerte Productions owner and director of the film, says there are only five scenes left to film and a few of these scenes will be shot in San Manuel and possibly Mammoth. He is looking for a few actors and would like to hire one from the area.
They are looking for a 15-year-old-looking male Anglo that can also transform into a 19-year-old. The part is a juvenile delinquent that later becomes an adult criminal. There is no pay for the actor but they will gain experience, exposure and references on their resume.
Auditions will be held in the Tri-Community. If you are interested, contact Alberto at (520)730-4685 or albertoojeda@cox.net.
Blessed Encounters was filming last year in the Tri-Community at the Sun Life Family Health Center in San Manuel. Some of the personnel at Sun Life are in the movie.
The Tri-Community has a history of movie makers coming to the area since the 1920s when scenes of the silent film The Mine with the Iron Door were filmed in Oracle. The movie Fire Birds with Tommy Lee Jones and Nicolas Cage had scenes shot in Mammoth and around the Galiuro mountains.
In San Manuel, the made-for-TV movie Powderkeg had scenes shot by the Magma railroad line and used one of Magma’s old steam engines. This was the pilot for the western TV series Bearcats, which starred Rod Taylor and Jon Cole. Other movies have been filmed in the area and along the Copper Corridor.
by by