Some of the best memories Krista Bradley holds from her childhood are of her grandfather sharing stories about the history of Northwest Arkansas. Having spent so much time with him growing up, it felt natural for her to base her first movie script on a unique aspect of the region’s past: Bella Vista’s Wonderland Cave.

With the script and a proof of concept — essentially a movie trailer — complete, Bradley is working on funding the full-length feature film. 

A fundraising gala on Thursday, Oct. 24 from 7:30–9:30 p.m. at Meteor Guitar Gallery will raise money for production while introducing the community to the film that will celebrate its local history. The gala will be complete with live jazz, dancing, presentations from local historians and footage from the film.

Bradley, who has spent most of her career as an actress and screenwriter for commercials, began writing the script in 2019. Entitled “Wonderland Cave,” the project was inspired by stories her grandfather told her of the cave’s former glory years as an underground jazz club in the 1930s.

Combining history with a fictional narrative, the story follows Faye Chambers, a third generation moonshiner who has dreams of escaping her small town life to become a famous jazz singer. 

In his final years, Bradley’s grandfather, a historian, helped her with the script, fact-checking her work for historical accuracy and providing her with feedback before passing away last December.

Bradley, who was her grandfather’s caretaker at the end of his life, choked back tears as she described why she calls the script “My Kermit.” 

“Kermit the Frog was actually created while Jim Henson was taking care of his father, and he would work on the puppet and work on stories and tell those stories to his dad as he was passing to comfort him,” Bradley said. “So it started with him many, many years ago.”

With script in hand, Bradley’s project began picking up steam after she won a pitch contest at the Fayetteville Film Festival competition in 2021

She worked with local historians from Bella Vista Historical Museum, spending countless hours diving into the cave’s history. She filmed interviews with two granddaughters of C.A. Linebarger, who is credited with the underground nightclub’s creation, and the daughter of Whitey T. May, the original operator. She hopes to later turn those interviews into a documentary.

“Wonderland Cave” has earned recognition at each stage of development, most recently winning Best Sizzle Reel at the Palm Springs International Film Festival this fall. For the full-length feature, Bradley will be the film’s writer, director, producer and lead actress. 

Just like the trailer, the movie will be filmed in locations around Northwest Arkansas and many locals who worked on the trailer will continue to be a part of her team. She hopes to show Hollywood and the nation that Arkansas is filled with brillant, talented people. 

“When you watch the trailer, I believe you’re watching the work of some of the finest Arkansas artists — and they’re only getting started,” Bradley said. 

She believes the film will bring millions of dollars to the local tourism economy by showcasing NWA on a national level. With a year to get funding in place and production time, she estimates the movie would premiere in theaters in 2027.

Bradley stressed how grateful she was for the support of the community while making the trailer — whether it was businesses donating food or volunteers donating their time — and wants to open opportunities to residents to get involved with the feature film in other ways besides financial donations.

“This all started with our community, and it wouldn’t have gotten anywhere without all of us coming together and actually being willing to contribute to it,” she said.

While she is working with investors to raise the $17 million budget for the film, the gala is a way to bring the community together and allow people a chance to be a part of the project and see its progress.

Tickets are $100 each, with reserved tables for donors giving $500 or more. Proceeds benefit the upcoming film, with 10% going to Women in Film Arkansas in its mission to support filmmakers and provide film education in Arkansas. 

“We’re trying to make it to where the community has their handprint on the final project,” she said. “That’s a big goal of ours. That way, whenever it’s all done, we can literally say we made this in Arkansas — and not just by Arkansas filmmakers, I want it to be by the people of Arkansas.”