Crews are finishing up multiple weeks of filming in Boulder for a feature film called “The man who changed the world,” a period piece about a Boulder architect dreaming of building a business.

The film tells the real life story of Coloradan Bud Stoecker, a dreamer, self-made inventor and father of five who lived in Boulder and struggled to build his family business in 1969. Stoecker, inspired by architect and futurist Buckminster Fuller, struggles against skepticism, economic hardship and personal tragedy as he brings his ideas and dreams to fruition.

Executive Producer Dean Stoecker is telling the story of his father, Bud Stoecker, and his mother and siblings through the film. His parents were born and raised in Boulder.

“It’s a story about family, and Hollywood needs some better feel-good, family-oriented, even faith-leaning films,” Dean Stoecker said. “I decided after my retirement to tell the story.”

The project has a $14.5 million budget with $9 million expected to be spent in Colorado, according to a release from the Colorado Office of Film, Television and Media. The anticipated economic impact of the film could reach up to $16.2 million, based on a study done by the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado Boulder.

This is the largest Colorado originating production to take advantage of a new refundable state tax credit passed in 2024. The film received a $1.8 million tax incentive from the Colorado Office of Film, Television and Media.

Tax incentives encourage film and media production in Colorado, and on average, they provide an 18-to-1 direct return on investment for the economy, according to the release.The majority of the filming for the movie will take place in Boulder, specifically at historic locations including the Boulder County Courthouse, the Boulder Theater, the University of Colorado Boulder and Chautauqua Park. They’ve also filmed in north Boulder at some midcentury homes.

Dean Stoecker said there are 130 crew members, including camera operators and costume designers, about 30 cast members and roughly 460 extras, many of which are from Boulder. The cast list has not officially been released, but he said there are actors in the film with international names that are highly recognizable.

About 90% of the film’s crew is from Colorado rather than bringing in people from out of state.

“That’s a wonderful thing for our local creative industry,” Boulder County Film Commissioner Bruce Borowsky said.

Friday was day 15 out of a 29-day shoot, Dean Stoecker said. The crew will head to Westminster next week to film for about 10 days before finishing the filming on April 17 in Fort Collins. He said it’s too early to know exactly when the movie will premiere and where. Eventually, people will be able to find more information about the movie on the IMDB website as press releases are posted and clips and trailers are published.

The film’s location manager, Miranda Carnessale, said the response from the community to the film crew’s presence has been “overwhelmingly positive.”

“We have been welcomed with open arms by the city of Boulder, including the city government and the county as well,” Carnessale said, adding, “The residents have all been super cool, and there’s been a lot of curiously and interest.”

Carnessale said the focus has been on getting the work done while reducing the impact as much as possible on residents.

“I love working in Boulder and Colorado, and our aim is to do a good job so that more filming is welcomed back in the future,” she said.

The filming of “The man who changed the world” directly crossed path with the announcement that the Sundance Film Festival would be coming to Boulder in 2024. The film crews happened to be filming outside the Boulder Theater at the same time as the announcement. Dean Stoecker said everyone was asking questions about the filming and it felt like a sign that they’re doing something right.

“We’re excited that Boulder’s got Sundance,” he said. “I think we were all amazed that our film shoot was happening literally right in front of the stage where they made the announcement.”

Borowsky said there are scenes in the movie’s script that were real events that happened in Boulder. The filmmakers wanted to make the film as realistic as possible by filming it in Boulder. He said it’s great for the creative community in the city and surrounding areas to have opportunities like this without having to travel to a big city out of state.

“We’re very excited to have the film shooting in Boulder,” he said. “The kind of money that films like this bring in to our local community is substantial. A film like this not only hires people but hires ground transportation, hotel rooms and craft services, which is catering. Film productions like this spend a lot of money in a town.”