BEN-HUR

Riverside County Film Commission announces that portions of the epic action adventure “BEN-HUR” were filmed in the eastern Coachella Valley area of Painted Canyon in Mecca CA. The film, from Paramount Pictures’ and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures’ released in theaters August 19th.

BEN-HUR is the epic story of Judah Ben-Hur (Jack Huston), a prince falsely accused of treason by his adopted brother Messala (Toby Kebbell), an officer in the Roman army. Stripped of his title, separated from his family and the woman he loves (Nazanin Boniadi), Judah is forced into slavery. After years at sea, Judah returns to his homeland to seek revenge, but finds redemption. The film also stars Rodrigo Santoro, Nazanin Boniadi, Ayelet Zurer, Pilou Asbaek, Sofia Black D’Elia and Morgan Freeman.

Bur-Hur is a classic film now with a connection to some of Riverside County's unique locations. Sharing the county’s film incentives and locations with our neighbors in Hollywood and around the world was the vision of the Riverside County Board of Supervisor's when the County's Economic Development Agency assumed the Film Commission duties for the region, just a year ago. The Film Commission is thrilled that such a high profile film as Ben-Hur found a unique opportunity in the County of Riverside.