Arizona film tax credit helped create Western based on Civil War battle at Picacho Peak

The bipartisan Arizona film tax credit program has been embroiled in a legal battle over its constitutionality. Less than $1 million in credits have been approved so far for qualifying film productions, with millions more in the process.

One production the credits helped out is an independent film based on the western-most Civil War battle at Picacho Peak.

The filmmakers of “The War Between” shot it in the state’s Sonoran desert. The backdrop is the Civil War, the main characters are soldiers on opposite sides. But the film’s director, Deborah Correa, says the film doesn’t focus on what was a real battle in southern Arizona.

Instead it forces the soldiers, and other characters into a fictional survive-the-desert scenario unveiling a complex theme of peace and humanity.

“And because it was such a uniquely Arizona story," Correa said, "and the fact that we could shoot where the battle took place at the base of Picacho Peak was such a huge draw for me as a director. The authenticity of that, it meant a lot and it meant a lot to the local crew and the local cast as well.”

Sage Hemstreet of Glendale played an unnamed Navajo leader who helps soldiers on both sides.

“I think it really goes against some Western stereotypes that if you see a lot of Natives in Westerns, they’re always the bad guy," Hemstreet, who is Navajo Laguna Pueblo, said. "They always are the antagonist to the protagonist. They’re always trying to kill the main character. And you see her have empathy for this character, where you know she has the upper ground.”

The film has been shown at multiple festivals and in theatres for a limited time. It will be available on streaming in November.