From
Sooner State to By Tara Malone
Silver Screen Oklahoma is a hub of
activity for the film industry because of financial incentives and ideal locations.
I
f you’ve been in front of the big screen lately – or even the one in your living room – chances are you’ve caught a glimpse of home. More and more box office hits and television series are being filmed all over Oklahoma, from Enid and Harrah to Pauls Valley and Pawhuska. While many of us may be familiar with megahits the likes of Twister or August: Osage County, the director of the Oklahoma Film and Music Office describes other screen sensations shot here. “Oklahoma’s film industry has seen many recent successes, including last year’s hit theatrical release I Can Only Imagine, which made over $83 million at the U.S. box office,” Tava Maloy Sofsky says. “The film not only became one of the highest-grossing faith-based pictures of all time, but it is also one of the top-five largest grossing music biopics in history, surpassing such films as Ray and Coal Miner’s Daughter.” The movie was shot in and around Oklahoma City. Another recent project, Paul Dano’s Wildlife (starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Carey Mulligan), was filmed in Enid. The western Painted Woman (2017) was shot in Guthrie, Norman, Oklahoma City and Ames, and To the Stars – released at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival – was shot in Wakita, the same location where Twister was filmed. Sofsky says the state has become a busy location for the TV industry, too. “The renewal of the state’s film incentive program has put Oklahoma in a position to recruit television productions, including hit shows like American Ninja Warrior in Oklahoma City, The Pioneer Woman in Pawhuska and Sweet Home Oklahoma in Oklahoma City,” she says. “Scripted television includes recent credits such as American Gods by Starz, which hubbed out of Tulsa and was filmed in Ponca City, McAlester and Little Sahara State Park in Waynoka. The state also hosted Season One of the forthcoming, faith-based streaming series The Beverlys (Pure Flix) and is in current discussions with Amazon to bring a series to the state.”
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OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | MARCH 2019
THE JURASSIC GAMES (2018) WAS FILMED IN SOME OF OKLAHOMA’S MOST SCENIC LOCATIONS. PHOTO COURTESY UNCORK’D ENTERTAINMENT
