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‘The Mustang’ filmed at Carson City’s historic prison arrives in theaters March 15

A new movie that was filmed at the historic state prison in Carson City “The Mustang” starring veteran actor Bruce Dern and Matthias Schoenaerts, known for the Academy Award winning film “The Danish Girl” and Jennifer Lawrence’s “Red Sparrow,” will be hitting select theaters March 15.

The film, which Robert Redford served as executive producer, used Carson City’s historic Nevada State Prison, which closed in 2012, as its movie set, filming at the location over a six week period in 2017, according to Nevada State Prison Preservation Society’s Vice President Maurice White.

The movie originally aired at the Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 31, receiving bright reviews.

According to Focus Features, the movie description is as follows:

“Roman Coleman (Matthias Schoenaerts), a convict in a rural Nevada prison who struggles to escape his violent past, is required to participate in an “outdoor maintenance” program as part of his state-mandated social rehabilitation. Spotted by a no-nonsense veteran trainer (Bruce Dern) and helped by an outgoing fellow inmate and trick rider (Jason Mitchell), Roman is accepted into the selective wild horse training section of the program. There, he rediscovers his own humanity in gentling an especially unbreakable mustang.”

Go here to view the movie trailer.

The film also features local actors, including Jack Waggon of Carson City, Dominique Ramone Smith of Reno, and Angel Alvarado of Reno, according to IMDb. Other Northern Nevada residents also participated with the film crew and as extras. There was more than 1,200 volunteer hours associated with the film, Nevada State Prison Preservation Society Chairman Glen Whorton said last year.

The movie parallels the real-life mustang rehabilitation program in Carson City, named The Northern Nevada Correctional Center/Stewart Conservation Camp Saddle Horse and Burro Training Program.

The program is a cooperative partnership between the Bureau of Land Management and the Nevada Department of Corrections-Silver State Industries in which “wild horses and burros are gentled and trained before being adopted. About 60-75 wild horses and burros are trained and adopted at the facility each year. Each wild horse or burro receives approximately 120 days of training, but they are still ‘green-broke,’” according to the program.

Carson City’s Assemblyman Al Kramer is currently sponsoring Assembly Bill 214, which seeks to enact a feasibility study to turn the historic prison into a museum.

According to Kramer, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak has already approved a quarter of a million dollars in funding from the Governor’s fund to provide for the prison museum efforts.

To learn more about the Nevada State Prison, you can visit its website at www.nevadastateprison.org

We will update with further information on if, when and where the film will be viewable in local theaters. In the meantime, you can view the trailer below:

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LGBTQ+ and Allies, community event, Carson Valley events, Western Nevada, gay

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