Okay, That’s a Wrap!

‘Hunting God’ finishes principal photography in Savanna

Morrison, IL (April 21, 2018) – “Hunting God”, an indie film produced by Chicago based JJack Productions (http://jjackpro.com/), has recently finished principal photography in Savanna, IL, and is now in post-production. The film, found footage/thriller, centers on a man, an Atheist, who after losing his wife to cancer, reunites with his three childhood church buddies to film their own deer hunting show in the remote woods. While filming, the Atheist is stalked by something evil within the woods, bringing him face to face with death, both physically and spiritually. The film, written and directed by Justin Jackola, who studied film at Flashpoint Chicago, a campus of Columbia College Hollywood, marks his directorial debut.

The film crew of 25 spent three weeks in Savanna, and according to Jackola, “Had a blast filming in Savanna. The scenery added to the production’s quality, and the community was super helpful. Folks like Bill Delp, who let us film at “Grandpa’s Cabin” [a restored 1837 cabin/rental] also provided valuable insights on the area as well as still photography, and Savanna firefighter and hunting expert Scott Wolfe, who became the film’s ‘hunting’ advisor, really contributed to a successful filming experience.”

Jackola also had good things to say about the recently created Northwest Illinois Film Office (https://www.filmnwillinois.com/), a collaboration between the City of Rock Fall’s CVB, Whiteside County Economic Development, and local communities, saying, “The film office was massively professional and extremely helpful, providing contacts to lodging, caterers, equipment, and just about everything we needed for a successful shoot. And our crew was so impressed by the area that many of them said they wanted to come back and just hang out and explore it.”

Among the surprises the crew encountered while filming were the ‘hundreds of Bald Eagles’ that they found along the Mississippi River. According to Jackola, this created an opportunity for an additional scene that will be included in the film. During the cast and crew’s down time they also stumbled upon Poopy’s Pub n’ Grub, and its famous “3 Lb. Burger Challenge.”

“Hunting God” has an expected release date in late 2018 or early 2019, and a screening at the historic “Savanna Times Theatre” is being discussed. For further information about “Hunting God” visit Facebook.com/HuntingGodFilm.

The Northwest Illinois Film Office can provide assistance to any film/media project looking for a unique setting for production. Visit the office’s web site at https://www.filmnwillinois.com/ for more information.