Our Story

Meet the Man.

Dominic and I met at a restaurant where I served him coffee every brunch. He was a nice man that ate the same thing every morning and went through the same routine.

But one day, in the summer of 2010, Dominic was different. He was animated and lively! He told me that he was "in love," and that his new "girlfriend" was named Maria. I decided I had to see the person responsible for such a change in him.

Meet Maria. The Goose.

Meeting Maria and watching the two of them together was like magic. I quickly started shooting a documentary about their unique relationship.

Before long, the whole world decided they wanted to see the magic too.

The Press.

Dominic and Maria were soon featured on the front page of the LA Times and the Wall Street Journal. They went international in the London Times and CBS ran a story on their National News. Maria has a facebook page. www.facebook.com/dominicandmaria, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Orange-Bill-The-...

But now, the press are finished with their stories and Maria is still looking for a home. We have documented the pair since the beginning and we will follow them to the end.

We want to tell the story about love and friendship, no matter what the form.

The Impact

What will happen to Maria when the park closes?
What will happen to Dominic if Maria is taken to a bird sanctuary far away?
What will become of all the geese that will be displaced because of the closing?

Echo Park will close in August for 2 years! 

Maria is currently being held at the zoo, but her housing is a temporary situation. If brought back to the park, the bacteria caused by draining the lake could possibly kill her and the other birds.

Dominic only gets to see her once a week and they can no longer walk or fly together.

Maria has made such an impact on the lives of everyone she's met, and by finishing this film, we can let more and more people aware of her situation. Maria needs a home. In a perfect world, Dominic would walk with her everyday, Maria could make friends, they would fly together, and she would graze safely in a pond nearby.

This is our call to action.

What We Need & What You Get

My crew is four brilliant individuals, a cinematographer, a director, a sound engineer and me.
The entire filming of this documentary has been pro bono work. We feel very strongly about the story.

However, the technical Post Production is where we'll need your help.
In order to hire an editor to sort through the hours and hours of footage, to pay him/her for their crucial time to cut a piece worth the subject matter, we will need "a little help from our friends."
The bulk of the money donated will go towards an amazing editor.

If there are remaining funds, they will go towards a composer, music rights.
Most importantly after that, is submission fees for Festivals which will be the goal for the distribution for this film.

We cannot thank you enough for helping with our campaign.

Other Ways You Can Help

Talk about it!
Share our story!

I've been amazed to find that different states across America have heard of "Dominic & Maria." Especially since being featured on CBS. Tell a friend about it, show them our trailer at www.dominicandmaria.com, or on youtube "Dominic and Maria".

It's easy for this goose to make friends. The more the merrier.
Make sure you LIKE our facebook page: www.facebook.com/dominicandmaria
And be looking for the film!