‘The Woman at Jacob’s Well’ starts production in Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Film + Music Office (OF+MO), with producer Jason Behrman, of Highway 9, began production Dec. 15 on the animated feature film “The Woman at Jacob’s Well.” The film is utilizing the Oklahoma Film Enhancement Rebate Program.
In the tradition of William Wyler’s “Ben-Hur,” “The Woman at Jacob’s Well” chronicles the transformation of a broken but profoundly strong woman as she encounters an epic moment in history. Rejected by her community but determined to find her own way, this woman at Jacob’s well encounters Jesus Christ in a scene that many of the time would call scandalous. The aftermath of their exchange transforms the woman and her village, redirecting their futures forever. A story of great faith, unconditional acceptance and the healing of broken relationships.
Behrman is an Oklahoma native, born and raised in Oklahoma City. He and his wife, Mellany, a Tulsa native, built their film careers in Los Angeles from 1996 to 2008 when they moved their company back to Oklahoma to raise their children. Behrman will work with Mark Steele, Kevin Anderson and the animation team at Steelehouse in Tulsa. Behrman and Steelehouse have been collaborating for nearly a decade, and this will be their first animated feature film production that will be animated entirely inside Steelehouse’s downtown Tulsa offices.
“OF+MO has been an absolutely invaluable resource in the process of setting up our independent animated feature in Oklahoma,” Behrman said. “The office has helped me put all the necessary elements in place to make producing a 3-D animated feature film in Tulsa possible. The Oklahoma Film Enhancement Rebate Program is an incredible blessing, as it is making it possible to make a better film and helping keep nearly every dollar of this project inside the Oklahoma state lines.”
“The Oklahoma Film Enhancement Rebate Program continues to attract a diversity of film productions to our state as seen by ‘The Woman at Jacob’s Well,’ the first animated feature film to utilize the program,” OF+MO Director Tava Maloy Sofsky said. “We’re thrilled that Oklahoma’s visual artists and production companies such as Steelehouse will showcase our state’s talent as a leading competitor in these advanced fields of animated film production.”