Summary
Since 2010, Tim Z. Hernandez has been single-handedly searching for the families of the anonymous victims of the 1948 plane crash at Los Gatos. An incident that took the lives of four American crew members, and 28 Mexican workers who were being deported, and later became one of the most popular protest songs of the 20th century, written by Woody Guthrie. Throughout this journey Hernandez has accumulated hundreds of hours of rare footage, archives, photographs, and audio recordings. Based on his two books, "All They Will Call You" (2017) and "They Call You Back" (2024), the documentary follows Tim's search as he narrates his journey and uncovers a mystery eight decades in the making. A project that is as much personal as it is historical.
Fundraising Campaign
Currently, a fundraising campaign is underway specifically to complete the Production process. While the larger portion of the filming has been completed over a span of 15 years, there are still a handful of necessary interviews and footage that needs to be taken. If you or anyone you know is interested in donating to help make this possible, please click the following link: (link coming soon!)
Production
At the beginning stages of this work, 2010, the goal was not a documentary, but rather to simply document the journey. Because of this approach Hernandez has utilized a number of devices, cameras, and audio equipment to capture this footage, ranging from handheld camcorders, to cell phones, to DSLR's, and other pro standard cameras. Likewise, the audio equipment ranged from a handheld digital recorder, to Zoom H6, cell phones, and pro standard audio. In some cases, when funding was available, Hernandez hired a small crew to film on location. The result is that the overall documentary is framed with high quality footage, but at times is textured and gritty, capturing the authentic energy and spirit of Tim's fifteen year search.
Some footage includes: Tim's actual searching on location in California, Mexico (Guanajuato, Jalisco, Zacatecas, Mexico City), New York, Colorado, the Navajo Nation, interviews with numerous family members of the victims, one-on-one interviews with eyewitnesses of the crash, Tim's interviews with key characters of this story, including a one-on-one interview with folk music legend Pete Seeger, California State Senate recognition with folk music legend Joan Baez, b-roll of various locales and places, and more.
Footage still needed: Interviews with Mexican-American history scholar David Romo, Palabra news journalist/ border reporter Alfredo Corchado, Woody Guthrie's daughter Nora Guthrie, pilot/ airplane consultant Steve Johnson, folk music legend Joan Baez, two more families located in Jalisco, Mexico, some b-roll of Mexico, and drone footage recreation of the flight path of the airplane minutes before it crashed into Los Gatos Canyon.
Team
Tim Z. Hernandez, Director/ Producer/ Writer
Rumi Sevilla Hernandez, Videography/ Editing/ Producer
Fundraising Trailer
Above is our first trailer for the documentary consisting of a collection of footage taken over the course of 15 years. Some footage I helped to film, and under Hernandez's direction, I single-handedly edited the entire video. Enjoy!