By Charlotte Rutigliano
Flapjack Chronicle
In just a short two years the Humboldt County and Del Norte Film Commission will be celebrating 100 years since the first movie filmed in the county. Humboldt County is not only known for its “Best of the West” college and its gorgeous redwood forest, but the numerous amounts of movies that have gotten inspiration from the beautiful Humboldt County.
From the first movie ever filmed to the most recent, Humboldt County has seen some big name movies and big name actors. Humboldt County has seen stars like Harrison Ford, James Earl Jones, Dustin Huffman, and the most Will and Jaden Smith who starred in After Earth.
Humboldt County and Del Norte film commissioner Cassandra Hesseltine explains about the most popular movies filmed in Humboldt County and what makes Humboldt County so interesting for film-makers.
Hesseltine, an HSU alumni, says she is promoting Humboldt County for filmmakers to get them interested in coming to film in this lovely community. She also says that educating producers about the location and the surrounding infrastructure is key. The North Coast has a prime location and is able to handle a big film. People in the area have worked on films before. This makes it easier on filmmakers to choose this county. Though Humboldt County does not get films all the time, there is one thing that it gets a lot of.
“Reality TV, commercials and print aids are our bread and butter,” said Hesseltine.
“Humboldt County has a uniqueness of being so close to the mountains, forest, and beach which makes it a good location,” said 18-year-old Humboldt State University student Josie Murphy.
“It doesn’t look like anywhere else in the world, which it makes it easier for filmmakers to convince audiences it’s another world,” said College of the Redwoods student Nathan Mata, 19.
Murphy and Mata both said the only movies they knew were filmed in Humboldt County were Star Wars and Jurassic Park.
But the list of movies filmed here in Humboldt County spreads over many years, to be exact from 1916-2013. Here are a few:
- Lass of the Lumberlands – 1916
- Valley of the Giants – 1938
- ET – 1982
- Halloween 3 – 1982
- Star Wars: Return of the Jedi – 1983
- Outbreak – 1995
- Jurassic Park: The Lost World – 1997
- The Majestic – 2001
- Humboldt County – 2008
- After Earth – 2013
If you would like to see a full list of movies, TV shows, videos and commercials filmed in Humboldt County and also in Del Norte the link is below.
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