Indigenous stories are increasingly prevalent in film, and one of Oklahoma’s tribes just made an addition its officials believe will contribute to — and hopefully, lead — the movement.
The Cherokee Nation on Wednesday opened its new 10,000-square-foot sound stage on its film studio grounds in Owasso. The facility has a main soundproof filming room with a 35-foot-high ceiling, RV hookups, production offices and space for classes.
It’s the second building at the studio grounds.
Senior director of Cherokee Film Jennifer Loren said the studio space is worth millions of dollars, and is almost 10 years in the making.
“It became more and more apparent as we worked with the film industry, both inside and outside of Oklahoma, that we needed this space,” said Loren.
The tribe’s film office expansion comes in the wake of both the Emmy-nominated Reservation Dogs and Oscar-nominated Killers Of The Flower Moon, both filmed on reservations. The Marvel series Echo was not filmed in Oklahoma but portrays Choctaw culture near Lake Tenkiller.
Loren said the sound stage continues these efforts, and will also help filmmakers control how their stories are told.
“Having the infrastructure here and the people with the knowledge of how to work through the Hollywood system and create allies and partners out of the Hollywood system … It won’t only weave into what’s happening right now, it’ll lead the way in a new direction that’s helping everything right now,” she said.
Officials at the ceremony didn’t just emphasize the cultural significance of the sound stage — they also emphasized its potential economic impact. Oklahoma Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell estimated one film project generates more than $50,000 per day for the state where it’s filmed.
Pinnell said sound stages throughout the United States are hard to book because “they’re all full.”
“You have made a good investment as a nation,” Pinnell said, adding that Oklahoma’s film industry is not complete without the Cherokee Nation’s contribution.
“To come and see something the people we work with the production side of it might be interested (in) and try to drive them over here to Oklahoma — this is just a great thing,” said Parker Howell, a Cherokee citizen from Westville who stars in the Roku original series UFO Cowboys.
Cherokee Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said the sound stage coincides with other efforts made by the nation such as health care and promoting the tribe’s language. He said these things contribute to what could be “the greatest of Cherokee centuries.”
And ultimately, Hoskin wants the Cherokee Nation to do more than just participate in film.
“We are either going to be in the wake of the film and TV industry, we are either going to be splashing around in the backwash of the film and TV industry, or we’re going to lead in the film and TV industry. And I know this — the Cherokee people were meant to lead. We were not meant to stand still,” he said. “If this is going to be a great century, this is going to be a great part of it.”
Article originated in: NPR
