Entertainment
Texas Wants Its Own Film Industry, and Some Creative Control
Lawmakers are weighing bigger financial incentives for film, TV, but not if the state is portrayed negatively
Texas stars including Taylor Sheridan, pictured, Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson are pushing to expand film, TV and video-game production in the state.
Photographer: Emerson Miller/Paramount+
Taylor Sheridan calls his 2016 thriller Hell or High Water a love poem to Texas, but to film it, he had to go to New Mexico.
The movie tracks brothers-turned-bank-robbers through West Texas oil country as they try to save the family ranch and stay a step ahead of the law. But every horse, cow and oil rig shown in the film was shot east of Albuquerque, thanks to state financial incentives for the production.