The Oklahoma Film + Music Office (OF+MO), in conjunction with the City of Vinita and Cherokee Film, is proud to announce the city has achieved film friendly certification after completing the requirements for OF+MO’s Oklahoma Film Friendly Community Program.
“The City of Vinita is pleased to have completed the steps to be designated as a film friendly community, adding another tool to our economic development efforts,” said City of Vinita Economic and Community Development Coordinator Misty Deffenbaugh. “We appreciate the support of Oklahoma Film + Music in promoting Vinita and Oklahoma in this growing, important industry.”
Located within the Cherokee Nation and the first film friendly certified community in Craig County, the City of Vinita is the second oldest town in Oklahoma showcasing a unique heritage. The community’s downtown district located along Route 66 offers a variety of antique shops, specialty boutiques and restaurants, including Clanton’s Café, which has been a staple of the Mother Road since 1927. Other notable community attractions include the Eastern Trails Museum, Vinita Lake Park and the annual Will Rogers Memorial Rodeo, one of the oldest in the state. With convenient access to metro areas and breathtaking natural attractions like Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees, this film friendly location offers a wealth of diversity and benefits to moviemakers, and has previously welcomed filming on the productions “One Day as a Lion” and “An American Mystery.”
“The Cherokee Nation and its businesses are committed community partners, dedicated to building economic growth, creating jobs and offering new opportunities for the Cherokee people and northeast Oklahoma,” said Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. “As the film industry continues to expand in our state and across the Cherokee Nation Reservation, I am thrilled to see my hometown of Vinita join with Cherokee Film and the Oklahoma Film + Music Office in highlighting the vital role rural communities have in supporting this dynamic industry. Given the past decade of local and tribal investment in the region’s economy and in cultural tourism, this achievement is no surprise.”
“We’re thrilled to be able to collaborate with the City of Vinita and Cherokee Film in certifying this truly special community, and we appreciate their efforts to promote film and television production in this region of Oklahoma,” said OF+MO Director Jeanette Stanton.
For more information on filming in the City of Vinita, explore cityofvinita.com.
For more information on OF+MO’s Oklahoma Film Friendly Community Program, including a list of certified film friendly communities, visit okfilmmusic.org/filmfriendly.
Click here for photos of film friendly locations in Vinita.
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About the Oklahoma Film + Music Office
Under the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, the Oklahoma Film + Music Office (OF+MO) works to promote the state as a viable hub for film, television and music production as well as further develop opportunities for workforce, business and community growth within these sectors. For more information on the Oklahoma Film + Music Office, including the state’s film incentives and additional resources, visit okfilmmusic.org.
