VAN BUREN, Ark. — Main Street in Van Buren was briefly closed for the film production of "Broken Trail."
"Our merchants are so excited about the filming of this movie," the Old Town Merchants Association said on their Facebook.
"Broken Trail" — directed and written by Johnny Remo and starring Rumer Willis, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Jeff Fahey, and Graham Greene — is a Western set in 1875.
"A widow's life is upended by her husband's murder, orchestrated by a nefarious colonel," according to IMDB. "She unexpectedly crosses paths with a former Pinkerton agent, a man with a troubled past."
Joseph Udouj was an extra in the film. He's a film lover and he said found the open casting call on Facebook.
"I figured it would be just like one or two scenes, but it ended up being about five scenes," Udouj said. "I thought it would be a cool opportunity to step in and see what it's like and watch a different movie crew on how they do it."
He said it will be exciting to see an area he knows well in a major movie.
"It's really good to see movies being filmed around here," Udouj said. "A lot of times Hollywood likes to just do it in their studios and not actually go to the real location. It's really cool to see more movies come around here because it's such a great state to do it in."
Christopher Craine, who serves as the Arkansas Film Commissioner, plays a part in getting production companies to come to the Natural State. He said Van Buren has been the backdrop of a few projects.
"Van Buren is so cool and kitschy for that, because as you're walking downtown, you know, you can see, wow, this is a Western back lot," Craine said. "We've pitched Van Buren for many things, and we'll continue to pitch it."
He said many things attract filmmakers to Arkansas.
"The topography of the state. There really isn't a state like it," Craine said. "We've got a little bit of urban and a little bit of rural."
The Arkansas Legislature set aside $9 million this fiscal year to incentivize productions to film in the state. Craine said he hopes that Van Buren residents will love to see their historic Main Street on the big screen.
"For communities to be able to look on the screen and say, 'Oh my gosh. That's where the theater is.' It gives a community a sense of pride that they're in something that exists in perpetuity," Craine said.
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