Utopia On the Rio Grande is a small budget historical documentary about an obscure 19th century American spiritualist who had a vision to create a society without war and poverty. The film documents the key events in his journey and captures the little known history of a small group of idealists who set out to change the world by creating a peace colony in the desert southwest. This hour-long documentary brings to life their trials and triumphs as they pursued this impossible dream. This film about Shalam Colony features local and national scholars and authorities, extensive reenactment scenes as well as a significant amount of archival material that offer a rare glimpse of life in 19th century Las Cruces, New Mexico. The musical score features arrangements and performance by Minneapolis guitarist Dave Dakota Hull.