Oklahoma, "where the green mountains of the East dissolve into the golden prairies of the West," has been one of filmmakers' most favorite film locations. Over the years, many feature films have been shot in Oklahoma, including The Outsiders (1983), Where The Red Fern Grows (1974), Twister (1996), Rain Man (1988), Phenomenon (1996), Far and Away (1992), Elizabethtown (20025), To The Wonder (2012), and August: Osage County (2013). Most recently, Oklahoma serves as the setting for Lone Man's Land, a documentary film made by Ezra Gentle.
Lone Man's Land tells the story of the Apple family as they struggle to keep their ranching life alive with the rising costs of land and rent. Kenton, the setting of the movie, is a quiet community with a population of twenty. It was also the perfect home to cattle ranchers for five generations. Perfect that is … until 2005 when an unforeseen event happened that changed the lives of Kenton residents ever since.
Kenton, Oklahoma - image via Google.
Filmmaker Ezra Gentle decided to make a documentary film set in the Oklahoma Panhandle after reading an article on Boise City by Sheila Bright. After visiting Kenton, Gentle had no doubt he wanted to make a documentary film there to help tell the dilemma Kenton residents are now facing. "I fell in love with all the people there and the country," Gentle said.
“I fell in love with all the people there and the country.”
Through his effective Kickstarter campaign, Gentle raised over $10,000 to help cover the cost of making the documentary. He also raised more money privately to cover the remaining cost of the film. Lone Man's Land started filming in February and the production recently wrapped this past May. Gentle expects to complete editing the film by the end of June to start submitting it to film festivals.
Featuring the family of Jane and Bob Apple, owners of The Hitching Post Ranch, Lone Man's Land shows viewers the hardship ranchers face today in the Oklahoma Panhandle. Hopefully, we’ll all have a chance to watch this moving documentary later this year.
For more information on filming in Oklahoma, visit the Oklahoma Film & Music Office, a LocationsHub client.
Search for Oklahoma's film locations.