Arkansas Filmmakers Get The Hollywood Treatment
posted 10:53 pm Tue October 02, 2007 - Litttle Rock
Arkansas gets a taste of Hollywood, with the premiere of the latest movie by local Oscar-winning filmmakers.
"Randy and the Mob," created by a local husband-wife team, premiered Tuesday night at Breckenridge Village in Little Rock, followed by an after-party at the Clinton Library.
Filmmaker Ray McKinnon and his and wife and partner, Lisa Blount receive a red-carpet welcome at the hometown premiere of their latest project.
(Ray Mckinnon, filmmaker)"To celebrate this film with our friends and family and our community is really a great experience."
"Randy and the Mob" is a comedy set in the south, and is already critically acclaimed. The couple's counting on word to get around.
(Lisa Blount, filmmaker)"Our hope is, we don't have a big studio behind us, for people, if they like it, they'll tell their friends and everybody come out and support us at the open."
The couple moved to Arkansas, Blount's home state, after winning an Academy Award for another movie. This project wasn't made here, but the couple hopes to entice more films to the state.
(Christopher Crane, Arkansas Film Commission)"The film industry is a bottom line industry, just like anything else, so they're looking for the almighty dollar, so for us to compete, we need to incent these filmmakers in a financial way."
Surrounding states provide tax incentives for filmmakers. Arkansas' one of only ten states that don't. Blount and McKinnon say they'd like to help change that.
(McKinnon)"I've been an actor a long time, as has Lisa, and we've seen how incentives can affect a community in a positive way. We've seen them work in New Mexico, North Carolina, Louisiana, and other places, and we want our state to do well."
"Randy and the Mob" opens to the public Friday at Market Street Cinema.
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