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The Cherokee Nation\u2019s push to expand the television and film industry in northeast Oklahoma continues to deliver results, with several productions supported by the tribe\u2019s film incentive program premiering this fall.<\/p>\n
Those projects generated more than $3.6 million in spending within the Cherokee Nation Reservation and created 149 jobs for Native Americans across development, pre-production, production and post-production phases.<\/p>\n
Never miss Indian Country\u2019s biggest stories and breaking news. Click here to sign up to get our reporting sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning.<\/a><\/p>\n Launched in 2022, the Cherokee Nation\u2019s incentive program was the first of its kind offered by a tribal government. It can be combined with the Oklahoma state film incentive and additional support from the Tulsa Office of Film, Music, Arts and Culture.<\/p>\n \u201cThe purpose of our film incentive is to help bring film and TV productions to our region, to utilize our resources and to hire our workforce,\u201d said Cherokee Film Senior Director Jen Loren. \u201cWe have been very successful in that regard, and we are impressed with the impact these films have when operating here. That impact has rippling effects throughout the reservation and in our local industry.\u201d<\/p>\n Set to premiere Nov. 7, Sarah\u2019s Oil from Amazon MGM Studios tells the true story of Sarah Rector, one of the first African American female millionaires in Indian Country during the early 1900s. At just 11 years old, Rector transformed a seemingly worthless land allotment into family wealth after discovering oil. The film stars Zachary Levi, Naya Desir-Johnson, Sonequa Martin-Green, Garret Dillahunt, Mel Rodriguez, Kenric Green and Bridget Regan.<\/p>\n Directed and co-written by Cyrus Nowrasteh, Sarah\u2019s Oil marks the largest production to date to use the Cherokee Film incentive.<\/p>\n \u201cOur story was meant to be shot in Oklahoma, which happens to rank among the top 10 film incentive states for growth in film and TV employment, total compensation, and average compensation per worker,\u201d said producer John Shepherd. \u201cThanks to the generous support of proactive partners like Cherokee Film, I rank Oklahoma first as well. We had everything we needed to make this project a success.\u201d<\/p>\n