The film The Big Bend, shot and set in Terlingua, will make its regional debut this weekend with free screenings at the Cinnabar Theatre in Study Butte. The showings are scheduled for Friday, January 24, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, January 25, at 4 p.m., followed by a Q&A session with producer Aaron Brown after Friday’s screening. A celebration at the Boathouse in the Ghost Town will follow at 9:30 p.m. on Friday.
The feature film follows two young families whose off-grid vacation in the rugged Big Bend region quickly veers into unexpected and suspenseful territory. Directed by Brett Wagner and produced by Aaron Brown of Onion Creek Productions, the story was inspired by the duo’s personal experiences in the area. Brown, a native Texan, drew from childhood visits to Big Bend, calling it “a Wild West place in my mind.”
The production, which began filming in 2019, faced unique challenges due to the remote desert environment. With limited cell service and unpredictable weather, including flash floods and scorching heat, the crew had to adapt quickly. “We had to let the Big Bend area tell us how this movie was going to be made,” Brown said. Despite the obstacles, the team received invaluable support from locals, including Scott Teppe of Fort Davis’s Rattlers and Reptiles as the snake wrangler and former Brewster County Sheriff’s Deputy Will Drawe, who played himself.
