Crime Survivor Produces Movie At McAlester Penitentiary

The bright lights and big cameras of Hollywood are filming in an unlikely place - Oklahoma&#39;s State Penitentiary in McAlester. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.doc.state.ok.us/facilities/institutions/osp.htm">Oklahoma State Penitentiary</a>

Wednesday, February 24th 2010, 9:47 pm

By: News On 6


By Dan Bewley, The News On 6

McALESTER, OK -- The bright lights and big cameras of Hollywood are filming in an unlikely place - Oklahoma's State Penitentiary in McAlester.

"It's a very heavy vibe here," said co-producer Hoyt Richards.

The movie is small by Hollywood's standards with only a $1 million budget. It's called "Heaven's Rain" and tells the story of Oklahoma native Brooks Douglass.

"It's a fantastic crew, the actors are great," said Brooks Douglass, writer and producer for "Heaven's Rain."

The story begins in 1979 when Douglass was 16 years old. Two men broke into his Okarche home. His mother and father were shot and killed.

Douglass and his sister were also shot but survived and managed to escape. He went on to serve 12 years as a state legislator and eventually forgave the men who shattered his life.

Douglass says writing about those horrific events and producing this movie is all part of the healing process.

"The main message is about forgiveness," he said.

Producers say filming inside the state pen is intense, and they expect that emotion to show on film. The corrections officers here say it's a nice change of pace from seeing the usual suspects.

"It breaks the monotony and gives us something to look forward to," said Terry Crenshaw, Warden's assistant.

"Heaven's Rain" writer and producer Brooks Douglass hopes his movie and life story will change lives - even if that means reliving a painful past.

"There's some difficult scenes; it's worthwhile," he said.

Filming of "Heaven's Rain" should finish within the next few weeks. Producers plan to enter it into film festivals by the end of the year while searching for a studio to help with distribution.

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