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Lensing completed on Jeff Nichols’ MUD

Mud,  a film written and directed by Jeff Nichols (Take Shelter, Shotgun Stories), completed its 8-week shoot in Arkansas on November 19. The film is now in post-production and is planned for a theatrical release in 2012. 

Mud is the story of two boys who find a man hiding out on an island in the Mississippi River and form a pact to help him evade bounty hunters on his trail and reunite with his soul mate. The all-star cast also includes Matthew McConaughey (The Lincoln Lawyer, A Time to Kill), Academy Award© nominee Sam Shepard (Blackthorn, The Right Stuff), Academy Award winner Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line), Tye Sheridan (The Tree of Life), Academy Award nominee Michael Shannon (Take Shelter, Revolutionary Road), Golden Globe nominee Sarah Paulson (Martha Marcy May Marlene), Academy Award winner Ray McKinnon (The Blind Side), Joe Don Baker (George Wallace), and Paul Sparks (Boardwalk Empire). 

David Wingo, whose composing credits include George Washington, Snow Angels, The Sitter, and Nichols' Take Shelter, will reteam with Nichols to write the musical score for Mud.

Mud was filmed in various locations in Southeast Arkansas including Dumas, De Witt, Lake Village, Crocketts Bluff and Stuttgart. Mud is the largest production ever to be filmed in the state. About half of the 100-plus cast and crew working on the film were Arkansas residents, and the filmmakers hired more than 400 locals as extras.

Sarah Tackett (founder and owner) and Yancey Prosser of The Agency Inc. of Little Rock handled Arkansas casting. In addition to casting numerous speaking roles, more than 400 extras, and photo doubles, Tackett, Prosser and their team at The Agency Inc. conducted an extensive search over the summer to cast the role of Neckbone, one of the two boys in the film, in Arkansas.  Jacob Lofland, 15, an active teenager from Yell County, Arkansas, was chosen from more than 2,000 boys who applied for the role. "We knew Jacob was a very special find from the moment we saw met him and saw his video, and it turned out that Jeff Nichols agreed," said Tackett.

"It was very important to us to bring this film to Arkansas," said Nichols, a native of Little Rock who made his first film, Shotgun Stories, in England, Arkansas.  "The people and the river and houseboats in the region are particular to the Mud story. The Arkansas Film Commission and The Agency Inc. opened doors for us to make this happen. The people and chamber of commerce leaders and police in the places where we filmed really came out to help the film, and we greatly benefitted from their support. I feel very proud to have made this film in Arkansas."  

"Arkansas's Delta region has been a perfect fit for this film," said Arkansas Film Commissioner Christopher Crane. "As usual, Arkansans have exhibited world class hospitality to the cast and crew and we are extremely grateful to everyone involved in making this shoot a success. There was a team effort among the Arkansas State Police, Game and Fish Commission and Department of Finance and Administration to keep the production running smoothly, addressing all concerns in a timely and professional manner. We really appreciate the work of Jeff Nichols and his team to bring this production to Arkansas. We are proud to call Jeff one of our own and hope Arkansas is home to many more of his films over the coming years."

Sarah Green, whose previous film credits include Take Shelter, The Tree Of Life, and Frida, is producing Mud, along with Everest Entertainment's Lisa Maria Falcone and FilmNation's Aaron Ryder. Everest Entertainment's credits include the Academy Award nominated feature 127 Hours and the acclaimed Tom McCarthy film Win WIn.  FilmNation Entertainment recently completed production on House at the End of the Street, starring Jennifer Lawrence and The Raven, starring John Cusack as Edgar Allan Poe, both to be released in 2012.   Executive Producers are Tom Heller and Gareth Smith of Everest Entertainment, and Glen Basner of FilmNation.

About Everest Entertainment

Everest Entertainment collaborates with independent filmmakers who create with passion and integrity to bring distinctive, moving, memorable windows on life into the public domain. The company is global in scope and in the identification, support and recognition of great talent.  Everest's credits include Danny Boyle's 127 HOURS, which was nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture.  The company also produced the acclaimed Tom McCarthy film WIN WIN, starring Paul Giamatti, and Rodrigo Garcia's MOTHER AND CHILD, starring Naomi Watts and Samuel L. Jackson.  Founded in 2008 by Lisa Maria Falcone, Everest Entertainment is a New York City-based production company committed to developing high quality entertainment, with film and television divisions based on strong writing, complex characters and meaningful subjects, and a music division creating ground-breaking cross-genre records in collaboration with the most outstanding producers and artists of our time. The legacy of Everest Entertainment projects continues long after the release of a film or series or record through a substantial investment in ongoing philanthropic programs related to the theme of each work.

About FilmNation Entertainment

One of the leading independent international sales & distribution and production companies in the world, FilmNation Entertainment was founded in 2008 by veteran international sales executive Glen Basner.

FilmNation recently wrapped production and fully financed an untitled Oren Peli project; is in development on James McTeigue's MESSAGE FROM THE KING from writers Oliver Butcher and Stephen Cornwell; F*CKING ENGAGED which will star Jessica Biel; THE FACES to be directed by Paul Solet; THE AMATEUR AMERICAN to be directed by Ross Katz; and Guy Hibbert's (OMAGH, BOY SOLDIER) screenplay EYE IN THE SKY with Oliver Hirschbiegel (DOWNFALL, DAS EXPERIMENT) attached to direct.

FilmNation Entertainment's international sales slate includes:Terrence Malick's untitled love story starring Ben Affleck, Javier Bardem, Rachel McAdams, in addition to Malick's LAWLESS and KNIGHT OF CUPS; THE COMEDIAN starring Robert De Niro and Kristen Wiig and to be directed by Sean Penn; Relativity Media's MIRROR MIRROR starring Julia Roberts, Lily Collins and Armie Hammer; Steven Soderbergh's MAGIC MIKE  starring Channing Tatum and Alex Pettyfer; LOLA VERSUS starring Greta Gerwig; director Zhang Yimou's THE FLOWERS OF WAR starring Christian Bale; WETTEST COUNTY starring Shia LaBeouf; GAMBIT  starring Colin Firth and Cameron Diaz; SEEKING JUSTICE starring Nicolas Cage; LOOPER starring Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt; UNDER THE SKIN with Scarlett Johansson; THE ORANGES with Hugh Laurie, Catherine Keener, and Leighton Meester; and MIDNIGHT'S CHILDREN, based on Salman Rushdie's award-winning international bestselling novel.

In addition, they handled international sales on Academy Award Best Picture winner THE KING'S SPEECH and Pedro Almodóvar's LA PIEL QUE HABITO (THE SKIN I LIVE IN).

FilmNation has delivered on its philosophy of providing an unrivaled level of "added value" for its clients across all aspects of its business and serves as the exclusive international sales agent for Relativity Media, Media Rights Capital (MRC), Samuels Media Group, GreeneStreet Films and a non-exclusive multi-picture deal with Endgame Entertainment.  

For more information please go to: www.wearefilmnation.com or follow FilmNation on twitter http://twitter.com/wearefilmnation