Festival Info

2008 Opening Night Film: War Eagle Arkansas

Producer and Writer, Vincent Insalaco talks about his new film War Eagle, Arkansas
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"War Eagle, Arkansas”, is a story about extraordinary friendship, in an ordinary town. Producer Vincent Insalaco based the story on the real life relationship between his son, a good-looking athlete struggling with a speech impediment, and his best friend, a wise-talking boy suffering from cerebral palsy. The screenplay was written by Graham Gordy form Conway, Arkansas.

Filmed in stunning Super 35mm, in locations around Arkansas, the movie stars Brian Dennehy (Rambo: First Blood, Silverado, Cocoon, Assault on Precinct 13) and Academy Award Nominee Mare Winningham (The War, Wyatt Earp, St. Elmo’s Fire) as well as Luke Grimes and Dan McCabe, as the young friends.

Little Rock Film Festival Programmer, Brent Renaud, spoke with Vincent Insalaco, from North Little Rock, Arkansas, where his production company Downstream People Productions is based.

Tell me about War Eagle, Arkansas, this is a very personal film for you isn’t it?

Yes it is. The film is based on a relationship between my son and his best friend. They are both 27 now, but I first began thinking about the story for the film when they were both graduating from high school. For nearly 25 years, I have been in awe of the uniqueness of the friendship.

We live in a society that has become self-indulgent requiring so called instant gratification. I believe in the end that people have an obligation to look after each other. I think this film in its own way tries to say that.

The two young actors in the film are extraordinary, both playing kids with physical disabilities. How did you cast this film?

From the beginning when New York Casting director Pat McCorkle signed on to the project, we decided to cast a wide net. We auditioned hundreds of young actors in New York, California and in the Midwest. Many of today’s best upcoming actors auditioned, but when I first met Dan I knew he was perfect for Wheels. His sheer willingness and ability to capture the emotional, spiritual, and physical aspects of the character was extraordinary. Casting Enoch was more difficult. I remember making the decision to give Luke the part, because there was something intangible about Luke that stood out. The chemistry between Enoch and Wheels on the screen is self evident. Equally important is how well Luke and Dan hold their own with such industry professionals as Brian Dennehy, Mare Winningham, Mary Kay Place and James McDaniel.

What was it like filming in Arkansas, did you use local crew?

Filming in Arkansas was so typically wonderful. I remember how surprised the crew, who were not from here, was at how cooperative and nice the folks in North West Arkansas were. Not to mention they were amazed at how beautiful Eureka Springs was. We used as much crew as we could from Arkansas. When Panavision became a sponsor they introduced us to Masa our DP who of course brought his own crew. I think his work speaks for itself. That being said our writer, composer, publicist, 2nd AD, art director, art coordinator, production manager, locations manager, production coordinator, EPK, extras casting director, caterer, dialect coach, make up director, hair dresser, stunt coordinator, transportation coordinator, wardrobe supervisor and webmaster all are from Arkansas. When we shot the State Championship Baseball game, we needed a few hundred people to show up in Fayetteville. Everyone was really concerned that we would not have the number we needed. We put the word out in the local media and over 1000 people came, and with storms in the area they stayed all night until we got the shots. People were even asked to wear something red and so many people did that the Costume Director had to ask some in the crowd to change into another color!

It can be much cheaper to film in a neighboring state like Louisiana or even Mississippi because of financial incentives they have for productions that Arkansas does not, why did you chose to film here anyway?

First, because I am from here and the movie is about Arkansas. In fact we always considered the state to be one of the stars. The film is after all called “War Eagle, Arkansas”. However, Arkansas is the promised land for future film production. The industry just doesn’t know it yet. We have virtually every terrain one could need for a film. All we need now is for our legislature to put out a welcome sign by passing tax incentive legislation that can compete with Louisiana and Texas.

This film struck me as very authentic and genuine; in ways that films about or taking place in the South sometimes are not. How important was it to you to get the nuances, the accents, the set direction, and the locations just right?

Having a professional writer of Graham Gordy’s caliber who hails from Conway, Arkansas was a coup for us. We brought in a dialect coach to work with the actors to make sure they all sounded the same. We deliberately used Arkansan Will Churchill as the composer who knew what “our sound” was. Arkansan Trey Lange was our Locations Manager. He knew the state roads and he worked so hard to find the sites that showed the beauty of the state and would fit the script. Though our Production Designer was not from here, Sarah Frank totally focused on making the sets authentic.

Where does War Eagle, Arkansas go from here?

The film is now on the festival circuit and it appears it is getting some traction. Of course we hope for the film to get a distribution deal so people everywhere can see the movie. I am hopeful the film is noticed for our state, for our investors, but also because of the story. It is very unusual and Luke and Dan are so good, they deserve to be recognized for their performances.