FORT SMITH (KFSM) — After being filmed in downtown Van Buren a local directors’ film The Riot Act has hit the big screen.
The Malco Theater in Fort Smith held the red carpet premiere Wednesday (Sep. 12) night.
The movie is set in the 1900’s so the streets of downtown Van Buren had to be covered with dirt to match the era.
5NEWS spoke to the writer and director Devon Parks, who is from Van Buren, about why he chose his hometown for the film.
“This story was inspired by a story that was shot in Van Buren of a true story and so you know that’s what I built the whole feature on and so it was not only fitting but we were actually able to shoot it in Van Buren with the cooperation with the city and helping us transform it back to a hundred years ago. So there really wasn’t a choice we had to shoot it here.”
A second red carpet premiere event for The Riot Act will take place Friday (Sep. 14) at the Malco Razorback in Fayetteville.
The film will be in nine theaters throughout Arkansas starting Friday with plans to expand to larger markets by next month
