Ethan Hawke is filming a movie about the writer Flannery O’ Connor in Kentucky, and a few days ago he met Governor Andy Beshear and First Lady Brittainy Beshear. Soozie Eastman of Louisville’s 502 Film caught the warm words.
“Thanks for picking Kentucky to shoot.”
“Thanks for having us here. It’s been awesome here. Everyone’s been so great to us. I mean, we’ve just been treated with such generosity …”
Hawke’s endorsement of the commonwealth, which offers tax incentives for films shot in the state, is music to the ears of people like Emily Downey. Downey is the CEO of the Woodford County Chamber of Commerce and executive director of the Woodford Tourism Commission.
All or parts of three films have been shot in Woodford County in the last three years.
“Yes. And, and you know, what's funny is they're not all horse related. Totally. You know, usually when we had Secretariat it and some other horse movies, you know, they were coming here for the equine industry. And now what we're seeing is they're coming here just to capture small town charm.”
Downey says another moviemaker has expressed interest in Woodford County, but she’s not at liberty yet to discuss details.
**In a sea of partisan news, WEKU is your source for public service, fact-based journalism. Monthly sustaining donors are the top source of funding for this growing nonprofit news organization. Please join others in your community who support WEKU by making your donation.
