Americano is set against the backdrop of the country's centuries-old Fiesta de San Fermin, better known as The Running of the Bulls at Pamplona. Chris McKinley (Joshua Jackson), a recent college graduate backpacking through Europe, savors his last three days of freedom before boarding the career fast track back in the States. In Pamplona with his best friend, Ryan (Timm Sharp), and Ryan's girlfriend Michelle (Ruthanna Hopper), Chris meets a quintessential Spanish beauty Adela (Leonor Varela) and an enigmatic provocateur Riccardo (Dennis Hopper), both of whom encourage him to rethink his life. As the minutes and seconds until his departure tick away, Chris struggles with an age-old question - should he follow the beaten path, or risk it all on the road less traveled?
I knew in order to provoke people to travel I would have to put the audience inside a mysterious world most have never experienced. Therefore, the choice was made to take an enormous, albeit calculated risk. In the process of bringing this story to the screen, the cast and crew literally risked their lives. They actually ran with the bulls to bring a level of reality to the picture that would allow the audience to experience the "awakening" of Chris McKinley. Joshua Jackson even slapped a charging bull as it was captured on camera. Furthermore, we enlisted a professional Spanish bullfighter to allow us to film him during an actual bullfight at the San Fermin festival. Shooting real time inside a packed arena had not been done until AMERICANO, which allowed me to provoke important discussions of cultural relativism.
Inside the story of AMERICANO the characters ponder their passions and their beliefs as they absorb the experiences of the festival and the beauty of Spain. This is the time of their lives when they are expected to shut the door of their youth and open a new door to the unknown of their adult lives. Their travels teach them to see rather than merely look. They have been programmed to think one way; yet travel opens their minds to consider the world. They realize what is important to them may be questionable to another culture. In the end, a fresh perspective is gained thus allowing for a renewed balance in their lives.
The power of travel has become a movement of enlightenment. I hope AMERICANO inspires further exploration of one's self through the world of other cultures.
