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You won't find documentarian Jonathan VanBallenberghe with his head in the sand.

The 31-year-old, who received a master's degree in creative writing from the University of Arizona, has made his living behind the camera for the last seven years. He subsidizes his passion projects — his latest is a feature film about the ostrich ranch near Picacho Peak — with video work through Open Lens Productions. VanBallenberghe runs the company, which makes corporate and training videos, from his Midtown home.

VanBallenberghe's new film, "The Ostrich Testimonies" (www.ostrichtestimonies.com), is about D.C. Cogburn, owner of the Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch, who says his business was devastated by a 2002 stampede he believes was caused by two hot-air balloons that loomed over the ranch.

VanBallenberghe, who has submitted the film to the Sundance Film Festival, as well as to a documentary festival in England, spent more than 11 months documenting Cogburn's story.

"It's completely done. The distribution plan right now is to go through film festivals. I think it will work. It's a quirky story that involves this guy's obsession and passion for building the world's largest ostrich ranch up there at Picacho Peak. He moved here in 1993. I know about all this because I heard one day on NPR about this weird incident. I gave him a call and proposed the documentary."

"He's hanging by a thread. . . . D.C. Cogburn talks all the time about any day packing up and abandoning Arizona. . . . This was a David and Goliath tale of one person — against an insurance company — who just doesn't stand a chance."

"The thing that makes the film work is that the Cogburns feel like they've been totally dismissed. Here is his chance to tell his story. He helped found the American Ostrich Association. He gave me unique access to all these experts and all these stories. He's kind of a character. He used to be an animal trainer. He just has a real way with people."