There is an opportunity in front of Selma and it comes from the Land of the Rising Sun.

In Tuesday’s STJ, we revealed that a Japanese TV Production Company, Office Kei, will return to our town to film a prison break drama.

Though the company will hold auditions for extras and even some speaking parts, it’s more than just Selma’s actors that can take advantage.

Selma offers the kind of “old-time” charm that filmmakers spend millions of dollars to re-create in the studio.

This is the third time Office Kei will film in Selma and other productions have graced our town from time to time.

The right combination of town and film can mean an economic windfall for Selma.

Think of the tourist dollars drawn to an Iowa cornfield after “Field of Dreams” was filmed there.

Closer to home, Wetumpka opened it’s scenic streets to the production of “Big Fish” recently and reaped a ton of exposure in national publications as well as TV shows.

From Old Town to the Alabama River, from Old Live Oak Cemetery to our historic churches, Selma is a photographer’s dream, and it could become a cinematographer’s as well.

A representative from Office Kei said Selma had a “gold star” in their files after their first two productions, we should work hard to make sure their warm feelings remain after the third.

Maybe we can’t be the next Hollywood or even the Canadian film-mecca Ontario, but our natural and civic beauty could mean a little extra business for the town.

Office Kei may not be Miramax, but they are giving Selma a chance to showcase itself and for that we should say, arigato.