Paul Espinosa is an award-winning Filmmaker and Producer and currently a Professor of Chicano/a Studies at Arizona State University. He has been involved with producing films and documentaries for over 25 years. In 1997, he formed Espinosa Productions, a film and video company specializing in documentaries and dramatic films focused on U.S.-Mexico border topics. Espinosa has produced, directed, written and hosted numerous programs for public televisions stations as a Senior Producer and Executive Producer.  His productions have been widely reviewed in national and regional publications including the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, and NPR's "All Things Considered." 

Espinosa's major national production credits for PBS include: California and the American Dream, (Producer/Director/Executive Producer - 2006), a four hour series examining the dynamics of culture, community and identity in one of the most diverse regions in the world; The Border (Producer/ Writer/Executive Producer-1999), a two hour news magazine about contemporary life along the U.S.-Mexico border; Taco Shop Poets (Producer/Writer/Director-2002), a segment for Visiones: Latino Art in the U.S., a three-hour series examining all genres of Latino art; The U.S.-Mexican War: 1846-1848 (Senior Producer-1998), a four-hour, bi-national documentary series with KERA-TV in Dallas, commemorating the 150th anniversary of a war which was a pivotal event in U.S.-Mexican history; ...and the earth did not swallow him (Producer/Executive Producer-1996), a feature length American Playhouse drama funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, relating a year in the life of young Mexican American boy and his migrant farmworker family; The Hunt for Pancho Villa (Producer/Writer-1993), a documentary for The American Experience examining Villa's raid on the U.S. and the American expedition which pursued Villa in 1916; 1492 Revisited (Producer/ Director-1992), a documentary of a dramatic art exhibit providing a critical perspective on the quincentenary of Columbus' journey;  also for The American Experience, Los Mineros (1991-writer), Espinosa related the story of Mexican American copper miners' 50-year struggle for justice in Arizona; and The New Tijuana (Producer/Writer-1990), a one-hour documentary portraying the dynamic economic and political changes shaping Tijuana, Mexico. More of Espinosa's productions can be viewed by clicking here.

Espinosa has shared his expertise, experience and social activism at many universities and community centers across the Americas.  In 2000 he was named a Regents Lecturer at the University of California at San Diego. He formerly served on the Boards of the Media Arts Center of San Diego (as President and Co-Founder) and the Association of Independent Video and Filmmakers National Board (as Treasurer). Espinosa previously served as a Board Member of the California Council for the Humanities and as a member of the Documentary Jury for the Ninth Annual Festival of New Latin American Cinema in Havana, Cuba.

His work was commemorated at the Paul Espinosa Border Film Festival in El Paso, the Paul Espinosa Film Festival in Albuquerque, and the Paul Espinosa Film Festival in San Diego co-sponsored by the San Diego Unified School District.  He has been nominated four times for a Rockerfeller Foundation Intercultural Film/Video Fellowship in the Documentary category. He has also been recognized by Union Bank of California and KPBS with a Local Hero Award. Additionally, the California Chicano News Media Association honored Espinosa with a Lifetime Achievement Award and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists has inducted him into the NAHJ Hall of Fame.

Paul Espinosa is available to give presentations about his films and experiences to groups. He has lectured and screened at many universities and community centers across the country including Stanford, Yale, Columbia, New York University, Temple, Dartmouth, University of Illinois, University of Texas, University of Arizona, Universidad Iberoamericana (Tijuana), Museum of Modern Art in Houston, Guadalupe Cultural Center in San Antonio, and the Universities of California at Irvine, Los Angeles, Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara and San Diego. To see a list of topics presented in the past, click here.

Contact Paul Espinosa about making a presentation.

Espinosa Productions has an active internship program for work on documentary films and seeks individuals interested in media arts, independent film/video or journalism to work directly in our office. Interns will work on programming being developed and produced by Espinosa Productions, including documentaries currently in development.

Espinosa Productions offers interns flexible scheduling, hands-on learning experience, and prime exposure to the independent filmmaking community.

Interested candidates should submit résumé and cover letter via email.