HUDSON VALLEY STREAM FEST
COMING SOON:
After This Death • Between the Temples • Bloody Axe Wound • Companion • Dead Guy • Family • Figments of Freedom • Floaters • Good One • Motherland • Life and Beth S2 • Lost on a Mountain in Maine • Park Avenue • Paradise & Lunch • Pretty Little Liars: Summer School • Severance S2 • Sing Sing
7/5/2020 – It seems only fitting to follow up yesterdays streamfest recommendation of MAN ON WIRE with the narrative feature film that it inspired: THE WALK by Robert Zemeckis.
As a boy, Philippe Petit dreams of performing daring feats for dazzled crowds. As an adult, his life's ambition comes true when he becomes a high-wire artist who stares death in the face with every step. Under the guidance of mentor Papa Rudy, the French daredevil devises a plan to walk on a tightrope attached to the north and south towers of the World Trade Center. With help from his team and against all odds, Petit attempts the seemingly impossible stunt on Aug. 7, 1974.
The film was primarily produced in Canada but the Hudson Valley Film Commission had a hand in recommending a place where Philippe Petit could train the person who would portray him in the film, Joseph Gordon-Levitt. As a result, trained at Tech City in the Town of Ulster. Other scenes involved Gordon-Levitt's tightrope walking body double and CGI face-replacement technology. Watch short clip with Levitt, Petit and Zemeckis at https://youtu.be/yXtgDfE3VSY
Robert Zemeckis is considered one of the premier American directors with other credits including, FORREST GUMP, CAST AWAY, the BACK TO THE FUTURE trilogy, and WELCOME TO MARWEN, which, was inspired by MARWENCOL, a documentary about Hudson Valley resident Mark Hogancamp.
THE WALK can be streamed at https://www.amazon.com/Walk-Joseph-Gordon-Levitt/dp/B0163KPKDM
7/4/2020 –– – Happy Fourth of July! Today's streamfest recommendation os MAN ON WIRE, a documentary by James Marsch that celebrates the independent spirit.
Using actual footage from the event seamlessly mingled with new re-enactments, filmmaker James Marsh masterfully recreates high-wire daredevil Philippe Petit's 1974 stunt: performing acrobatics on a thin wire strung between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. Plotting his feat like a master cat burglar, Petit enlists the help of a motley group of friends as he calculates every detail, from acquiring building access to stringing up the wire, and manages to pull off an astounding crime.
Had the pleasure of hearing Philippe read the first two chapters of the book that the doc is based on. TO REACH THE CLOUDS was published in 2002. The reading was held at the home of one of his assistants and wire riggers, Valerie Fanarjian.
Probably the best connection to this movie was through colleague Lisa Myers who also assisted Petit. In 2009, after MAN ON WIRE was nominated, she was asked to create an Oscar Statue so Petit could practice balancing it. It was a lot of fun watching the Oscars with Lisa that year, and seeing how her "bowling pin version" came in handy.
7/3/2020 –– Today’s streamfest recommendation is LITTLE WHITE LIES, which was directed by Lacey Schwartz & James Adolphus. Filmmaker Lacey Schwartz grew up in a typical upper middle class Jewish household in Woodstock, NY, with loving parents and a strong sense of her identity, despite occasional remarks from those around her who wondered how a white girl could have such dark skin. As a child she believed her family’s explanation — that her appearance was inherited from her dark-skinned Sicilian grandfather — but when she reaches her adolescence, and her parents abruptly separate, her gut begins to tell her something else.
7/2/2020 – Today's streamfest recommendation is IT COMES AT NIGHT, directed by Trey Edward Shults, starring Joel Edgerton and Riley Keough. After a mysterious apocalypse leaves the world with few survivors, two families are forced to share a home in an uneasy alliance to keep the outside evil at bay -- only to learn that the true horror may come from within.
The Hudson Valley Film Commission referred locations, crew members and a few dayplayers for this production that took place in August and September of 2017, primarily on the historic grounds of the Byrdcliffe Arts Colony in Woodstock, New York. Twenty six production days were recorded for this A24 production and over $1-million was spent of local direct spending. The Hudson Valley Film Commission remains grateful for the very kind equipment and supply donation that was made by the production upon completion.
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7/1/2020 – Today's streamfest recommendation is the 8 part TV series BIG DOGS, created by Adam Dunn, with Brett Cullen, Manny Perez, and Michael Rabe. Episodes were directed by Darnell Marton, David Platt, and Matt Penn, and Tony Glazer who also acted as co-writer, executive producer and show runner. Summer Crockett Moore was executive producer and show runner. BIG DOGS exists in an alternate reality of New York City. Businesses are shuttered, crime is rampant, black markets thrive. Drug are run via taxis and NYPD detectives use taxis for undercover teams trying to rein in the chaos.
Filming took place in 2017 with over ninety days of production in Wappingers Falls, Beacon, Newburgh, Middletown, and Poughkeepsie. A hundred local crew members were hired ass well as over 150 extras. More than 6000 room nights were rented at local lodging establishments. For more information, visit www.bigdogsseries.com
6/30/2020 – Today's streamfest recommendation is THE BRASS TEAPOT, directed by Ramaa Mosley, and featuring Juno Temple and Michael Angarano as a couple that is transformed from hapless losers into instant winners, after finding a magical antique that fills with money each time they experience pain.
The Hudson Valley FIlm Commission referred vendors, crew and coast for the 2012 production that took place primarily in Dutchess County, and also Ulster and Orange where two certified stages (Umbra & Newburgh Unity Armory) were recommended and processed through the film commission. Production spent well over $400-thousand in direct regional spending.
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Focus Movie Mondays presents PARIAH. In Dee Rees' 2011 film, a Brooklyn teenager juggles conflicting identities and risks friendship, heartbreak, and family in a desperate search for sexual expression.
The screening will be followed with a LIVE moderated Q&A with the stars of the film: Adepero Oduye (Alike), Kim Wayans (Audrey), and Aasha Davis (Bina).
Local Hudson Valley connections to PARIAH include director Dee Rees, producer Joey Carey and cinematographer Bradford Young. The film world premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, where Bradford Young was honored with the [U.S. Dramatic Competition] Excellence in Cinematography Award.
To stream, Focus Features will be livestreaming a film every Monday exclusively on their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/FocusFeatures
6/28/2020 – Would you like to see handicapped people depicted as people?
Today's streamfest recommendation is CRIP CAMP
CRIP CAMP: A DISABILITY REVOLUTION is a 2020 American documentary film, directed and produced by Nicole Newnham and James LeBrecht. The film follows Camp Jened, which Wass established in 1951 at the foot of Hunter Mountain in the Catskill Mountains for disabled children, teenagers, and adults. The camp was meant to provide a nurturing community environment for people with a range of disabilities, such as polio and cerebral palsy.
The documentary starts on the heels of the Woodstock Music & Art Fair, when a group of teen campers are inspired to join the fight for disability civil rights. The film had its world premiere at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award. It was released on March 25, 2020, on Netflix at https://youtu.be/XRrIs22plz0
6/21/2020 – For Father's Day, I was hoping to find an ideal movie that honored the father figure while also embracing some of the social issues that are so relevant these days. No film matches those parameters better than TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, directed by Robert Mulligan, based on the Academy Award winning adapted screenplay by Horton Foote.
Scout Finch (Mary Badham), 6, and her older brother, Jem (Phillip Alford), live in sleepy Maycomb, Alabama, spending much of their time with their friend Dill (John Megna) and spying on their reclusive and mysterious neighbor, Boo Radley (Robert Duvall). When Atticus (Gregory Peck), their widowed father and a respected lawyer, defends a black man named Tom Robinson (Brock Peters) against fabricated rape charges, the trial and tangent events expose the children to the evils of racism and stereotyping.
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD was NOT filmed in the Hudson Valley, but there are some small degrees of separation the separate it, including the fact that Horton Foote "was hired by the Maverick Theater in Woodstock, New York, to perform eight roles" between 1937 to 1939. Also, it should be noted that his daughter Daisy lives in the region with husband Tim Guinee, who directed the film adaptation of Foote's ONE ARMED MAN (2014). Foote also wrote TENDER MERCIES, which was directed by Bruce Beresford, who produced PEACE LOVE AND MISUNDERSTANDING in the region in 2011.
6/20/2020 – Today's streamfest recommendation is Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize Winner THE MISEDUCATION OF CAMERON POST, directed by Desiree Akhavan.
Based on the celebrated novel by Emily M. Danforth. In 1993, a teenage girl is forced into conversion therapy after being caught with another girl in the back seat of a car on prom night. Run by the strict and severe Dr. Lydia Marsh and her brother, Reverend Rick (himself an example of how those in the program can be “cured”), the center is built on repenting for same-sex attraction. In the face of intolerance and denial, Cameron meets a group of fellow “sinners.” Starring Chloë Grace Moretz, Sasha Lane, Forrest Goodluck, John Gallagher Jr. and Jennifer Ehle.
Filmed in October and November of 2016, production took place in Greene and Ulster Counties. Over 200 local background extras were hired for production which took 24 days.
6/19/2020 – Today's streamfest recommendation is THE BANKER, directed by George Nolfi, with Anthony Mackie, Samuel L. Jackson, Nicholas Hoult, and Nia Long. Two African American entrepreneurs in the 1950s hire a white man to pose as the head of their company while they posed as a janitor and a chauffeur and ran the business. Watch trailer at https://youtu.be/J_-nk9-sMus or stream the film for free through end of June.
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6/18/2020 – Today's streamfest recommendation is WHAT HAPPENED MISS SIMONE? by Oscar nominated director Liz Garbus.
Classically trained pianist, dive-bar chanteuse, black power icon and legendary recording artist Nina Simone lived a life of brutal honesty, musical genius, and tortured melancholy.
The film commission helped with locations and crew referrals for a few flashback scenes.
Watch trailer at https://youtu.be/z7jIOawq8y8
Stream online at https://www.netflix.com/title/70308063
6/17/2020 - Today's streaming recommendation THE VIRUS: WHAT WENT WRONG comes from director Robert Stone (Chasing the Moon). As COVID-19 spread from Asia to the Middle East to Europe, why was the U.S. caught so unprepared? Despite repeated warnings of a potent contagion headed our way, America’s leaders failed to prepare and protect us. Why and who is accountable?
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6/16/2020 - Today's streamfest recommendation is THE POLLINATORS
The award-winning documentary will be released across all digital platforms on June 16, 2020, right ahead of National Pollinator Week (June 22 – 28).
THE POLLINATORS is a cinematic journey around the United States following migratory beekeepers and their truckloads of honey bees as they pollinate the flowers that become the fruits, nuts and vegetables we all eat. The many challenges the beekeepers and their bees face en route reveal flaws to our simplified chemically dependent agriculture system. We talk to farmers, scientists, chefs and academics along the way to give a broad perspective about the threats to honey bees, what it means to our food security and how we can improve it. Watch trailer at https://vimeo.com/333561076
Regarding production, director, cinematographer and producer Peter Nelson wrote: "We filmed THE POLLINATORS for over a year and travelled across the United States to tell this story of migratory beekeepers and their essential role in our food system, but we produced this documentary right here in the Hudson Valley and there are many beautiful images and important scenes filmed locally. Living here and being able to film locally whenever we needed to was an incredible opportunity to showcase the stunning and diverse landscapes and agricultural stories that we told in our film and provided amazing visuals everywhere we went.“
To screen THE POLLINATORS, visit https://geni.us/ThePollinators
6/15/2020 - Today's streamfest recommendation is WHO KILLED GARRETT PHILLIPS? The documentary was not filmed locally (apart from maybe a few scenes) but director Liz Garbus (a two-time Academy Award-nominee and Emmy-winner) has close ties to the region and filmed part of her amazing documentaries (WHAT HAPPENED, MISS SIMONE?) in Willow.
WHO KILLED GARRETT PHILLIPS? - a two part HBO series - begins with the 2011 murder of 12-year-old Garrett Phillips and subsequent trial for second-degree murder of Clarkson University soccer coach Nick Hillary, a black man living in mostly white Potsdam, NY. The documentary chronicles the five years following the murder, as Garrett’s grief-stricken family and community relentlessly seek justice, and Hillary desperately fights to prove his innocence.
CLICK TO STREAM WHO KILLED GARRETT PHILLIPS?
To stream WHAT HAPPENED MISS SIMONE, visit https://www.netflix.com/watch/70308063
6/14/2020 – Today's streamfest recommendation is the final episode of I KNOW THIS MUCH IS TRUE on HBO. The series was filmed almost entirely in the Hudson Valley over the course of a year. The conclusion is expected to answer how things are going to be now that Thomas is back at home.
Watch preview at https://www.hbo.com/…/sea…/episodes/episode-6/videos/preview
I KNOW THIS MUCH IS TRUE was exceptional. I'm very proud that the film commission was able to help by referring locations, crew members, cast and vendors. It's an honor to work on a production that is so well crafted and actually touching and human.
It's sad that there are no more production days or upcoming episodes, but it's wonderful to have this work left as a legacy of how good local production can be from an economic and aesthetic point of view.
Area locations never looked better thanks to the cinematography of Jody Lee Lipes (A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Manchester By the Sea).
6/13/2020 - The streamfest recommendation today is PANDEMIC: HOW TO PREVENT AN OUTBREAK
Released in January, PANDEMIC follows nine people around the world as they prepare themselves for a disease outbreak they hope never comes. The series doesn’t specifically focus on COVID-19, but it does outline in chilling detail how a global flu could grind the world to a halt.
Executive Producer and showrunner Jeremiah Crowell helped craft this verite doc series that explores the lives of men and women all over the world who are fighting to stop the coming pandemic flu. The documentary questions our readiness for fast-moving viruses like coronavirus. It is informative, inspiring – and terrifying. Watch trailer at https://youtu.be/fPs90HZbSVQ
Crowell has filmed scenes for the series A CRIME TO REMEMBER in the Hudson Valley, and the production company Zero Point Zero has established ties in the region.
Wear your mask in public, and stream the series at home @ https://www.netflix.com/title/81026143
6/12/2020 - After posting about SELMA and Bradford Young's cinematography the other day, it's difficult not to follow up with director Ava DuVernay's WHEN THEY SEE US, which chronicles the notorious case of five teenagers of color, labeled 'The Central Park Five.' They were convicted of a rape they did not commit. Watch trailer at https://youtu.be/VHbOt2M8md0 The 4-part series can be streamed on Netflix at https://www.netflix.com/title/80200549
THE CENTRAL PARK FIVE, the documentary by Ken Burns is available for streaming at https://www.amazon.com/Ken-Burns-Central-Park-Five/dp/B00BYEVUWI
6/11/2020 – Today's streamfest recommendation is Stanley Nelson's brilliant THE BLACK PANTHERS: VANGUARD OF A REVOLUTION. The documentary demystifies much of the misinformation and propaganda that has surrounded the group since the sixties, by examining the role of women in the Black Panthers movements d the rise the party in the 1960s and its impact on civil rights and American culture. The film is streaming for free on Amazon prime and several other streaming platforms.
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April 13, 2020 –– Today's streamfest recommendation is episode 5 of THE PLOT AGAINST AMERICA. It screens tonight on HBO. The series, which was filmed partly in 5 Hudson Valley counties, is a six-part re-imagining of history based on the Philip Roth novel of the same name. In episode 5, a working-class Jewish family is selected for a forced relocation to Kentucky.
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April 12, 2020 –– Today's streamfest recommendation is HIGHER GROUND, directed by Vera Farmiga, who also co-stars, along with Joshua Leonard, Norbert Leo Butz, Michael Chernus, John Hawkes and Dagmara Dominczyk, as a fundamentalist who faces a lifelong struggle with the tenets of her church.
The film was produced by Carly Hugo, Renn Hawkey, Jon Rubinstein, and Claude Dal Farra, and executive produced by Matt Parker, Lauren Munsch, Brice Dal Farra, and Jonathan Burkhart. Hudson Valley locations included Accord, Ellenville, Kerhonkson, Kingston and Stone Ridge, where hundreds also turned out for auditions. HIGHER GROUND premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival and was distributed by SONY Picture Classics.
April 11, 2020 –– Today's streamiest recommendation is LEE'S 88 KEYS by Saugerties based director Susan Robbins. The 2015 documentary follows 88-year-old Lee Shaw, proudly known as Albany, New York's Queen of Jazz. From the piano bench Lee has bravely struggled with not only being a woman in a male dominated field, but with the financial challenges that come with pursuing a dream, and the conflict of her sharp musical mind's residence in an ever aging vessel. Her story is one of passion and triumph, which she attributes to her love of the 88's.
April 10, 2020 –– If you are looking for a mini series to binge over the weekend, check out Cary Joji Fukunaga's MANIAC, starring Emma Stone, Jonah Hill, and Justin Theroux. The Netflix series filmed part of the show in the mid-Hudson Valley in 2017.
Annie Landsberg and Owen Milgrim are two strangers who are drawn to the late stages of a mysterious pharmaceutical trial. Each has a different reason for participating in the experiment -- she is disaffected and aimless, fixated on broken relationships with her mother and sister, while he has struggled throughout his life with a disputed diagnosis of schizophrenia. The radical treatment, using pills that the inventor claims can repair anything about the mind, draws Annie, Owen and 10 other subjects into a three-day drug trial that they're told will permanently solve all of their problems, with no complications or side effects. Unfortunately, things don't go as planned.
Several of the locations, including Lake Minnewaska were first referred to Fukunaga when executive producer Peter Pastorelli and location manager Kurt Enger scouted the region tor the film IT –– a project that was eventually produced elsewhere, after the director left the project. Tragically, Pastorelli passed away in 2019 after returning to the region to produce THINGS HEARD AND SEEN.
Laurent Rejto from the film commission first met Fukunaga when he won the Best Student Short award at the 2004 Woodstock Film Festival. "As the co-founder and head programmer for shorts, I came across VICTORIA PARA CHINO, and was totally blown away by the filmmaking," says Rejto. It's not hard to recognize that kind of talent. It usually happens once or twice a year but no one has ever had that kind of a career track after winning the best student short award. It's been amazing watching Cary's career skyrocket with projects like SIN NOMBRE, TRUE DETECTIVE, BEASTS OF NO NATION and of course, in 2019, he director NO TIME TO DIE - the 25th James Bond film which stars Daniel Craig.
April 9, 2020 –– Today, the film commission is recommending I BELIEVE IN UNICORNS by Leah Meyerhoff. The film, which stars Natalia Dyer, Peter Vack, Julia Garner, Amy Seimetz and Toni Meyerhoff was produced partly around Campbell Hall in 2013, and focuses on a teen's budding romance that takes a turn for the worse when her Prince Charming starts to reveal a volatile side. Among other things, the film commission posted for UNICORNS and circus performers.
I BELIEVE IN UNICORNS premiered at SXSW and later screened at the 2014 Woodstock Film Festival.
April 8, 2020 –– Today's local film recommendation is YOUTH IN OREGON. The feature film from Sundial Pictures is directed by Joel David Moore and features Frank Langella, Christina Applegate, Billy Crudup and Mary Kay Place. The movie was filmed in part in Dutchess County in June and July 2015. When 79-year-old curmudgeon Raymond (Frank Langella) makes arrangements to be euthanized in Oregon, his family refuses to accept his decision. But when another family emergency arises, Raymond's daughter Kate (Christina Applegate) turns to her husband, Brian (Billy Crudup), for a little help. So Brian reluctantly volunteers to drive the cantankerous Raymond and his wine-loving wife, Estelle (Mary Kay Place), to Oregon.
April 7, 2020 –– Today's local film recommendation is Robert Fontaine's MI AMERICA, which was produced in Newburgh, NY during the summer of 2013. The story investigates a hate-crime that has been committed. Five migrant laborers are beaten, shot, then ditched near an abandoned industrial riverfront complex. The bodies are discovered six months later. Detective Rolando Ramirez (a Mexican-American and longtime resident of the community) has been assigned to the case. His journey will force him to question his own identity and beliefs, on what it means to be a North American, and in turn, bring those who committed this crime to justice.
The New York Times wrote: "MI AMERICA is not just about a murder case but about how residents of divided communities share a history and deal with one another, sometimes hopefully, always warily." Cast and crew included hundreds of locals, including Joe James, Alice Quinn, Zoe Hunter, Leif Grund, Keith Leonard, Christopher Tighe, Ann Osmond, Wayne Pyle, Heidi Eklund, Joe Felece, Lew Gardner, Linda Kutrubes, Edward Crawford, Brendan Boyce, Angel Valle, Annemarie Lawless...
April 6, 2020 –– HBO has released the first promo for THE PLOT AGAINST AMERICA’s upcoming fourth episode, featuring Morgan Spector’s Herman Levin and Zoe Kazan’s Bess Levin as their son continues to idolize Charles Lindberg under the influence of his aunt Winona Ryder’s Evelyn. Directed by Thomas Schlamme from a script written by co-creator David Simon and Reena Rexrode, the new episode is set to premiere on April 6.
Based on the novel by Philip Roth, THE PLOT AGAINST AMERICA six-part miniseries imagines an alternate American history told through the eyes of a working-class Jewish family in New Jersey as they watch the political rise of Charles Lindbergh, an aviator-hero and xenophobic populist who becomes president and turns the nation toward fascism.
The series stars Golden Globe winner Winona Ryder (Stranger Things) as Evelyn Finkel, Golden Globe nominee John Turturro (The Night Of) as Rabbi Lionel Bengelsdorf and Emmy nominee Zoe Kazan (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, Olive Kitteridge) as Elizabeth “Bess” Levin. It will also feature Morgan Spector (Homeland) as Herman Levin, Anthony Boyle (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) as Alvin Levin, Azhy Robertson (Juliet, Naked) as Philip Levin, and newcomer Caleb Malis as Sandy Levin.
THE PLOT AGAINST AMERICA is written and executive produced by David Simon and Ed Burns. Joe Roth, Jeffrey Kirschenbaum, Nina K. Noble, Annapurna’s Megan Ellison, Sue Naegle, and Susan Goldberg will also executive produce. Co-executive producers include Dennis Stratton and Philip Roth.
To STREAM the series, visit https://www.hbo.com/the-plot-against-america
April 5, 2020 –– Today, the film commission is recommending the short film IN THE BLIND directed by Davis Hall and produced by Ingrid Price. The movie was filmed mostly on set in Accord, NY. Nick Sandow (Orange is the New Black, Third Watch) and Neal Huff (Moonrise Kingdom, Meek's Cutoff) star as estranged brothers struggling with their father's apparent suicide. In this adaptation of an Adam LeFevre play, the two must first understand their absent father, then each other, in order to know the truth. Shot in a 5' x 10' set, this dramatic journey takes place in a small space that resonates.
April 4, 2020 –– Hoping everyone is safe and healthy and finding productive ways to get their work done. Today's Hudson Valley Stream Fest recommendation will get you out to the race track for some racing fun. In 2009, the film commission was proud to recommend director Mustapha Khan for the feature film ROCKSTEADY. Soon after, Khan met with producers Stephen Hays and Anthony Moody at the Accord Speedway, where they were introduced to owner Gary Palmer, by Laurent Rejto of the film commission. As luck would have it, Palmer, Hays and Rejto had all grown up in the same town in Connecticut. A deal to use the speedway was struck. That was followed with 25 production days in the region. Over 50 local crew members, actors and vendors were hired, including editor John David Allen, who was also referred by the film commission.
The film, which features Cedric Sanders, Natalie Knepp, Jon Orsini, and actor/musician David Hinds (Steel Pulse), is a coming of age drama set in the world of stock-car dirt-track racing, against a heavy reggae soundscape. The film premiered to sold out audiences at the Rosendale Theatre and Bearsville Theater at the 2010 Woodstock Film Festival. David Hinds performed at a special party at the Catamount (now Emerson Resort).
April 3, 2020 –– Today's Hudson Valley Stream Fest recommendation is Mo Ogrodnik's DEEP POWDER featuring Haley Bennett (SWALLOW) and Shiloh Fernandez (BURN). When a teen from the wrong side of the tracks falls in love with a wealthy girl at the local boarding school, he agrees to help her smuggle drugs from Ecuador for the benefit of her upper crust friends. But when the plan unravels and he becomes the fall guy for their crimes, he is forced to decide how far he will go for the girl he loves. The Killer Films production, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, took place in Greene and Columbia County in February and March of 2012, which was not a good winter for the snow and ice the film was hoping for. Basilica Hudson was certified as a NYS qualified soundstage for this particular project.
April 2, 2020 –– Today, we’re recommending COLLEGE BEHIND BARS, a four-part documentary film series directed by award-winning filmmaker Lynn Novick, produced by Sarah Botstein, and executive produced by Ken Burns. Shot over four years in maximum and medium security prisons in New York State, the four-hour film takes viewers on a stark and intimate journey into one of the most pressing issues of our time – our failure to provide meaningful rehabilitation for the over two million Americans living behind bars. Through the personal stories of the students and their families, the film reveals the transformative power of higher education and puts a human face on America’s criminal justice crisis. Throughout, a small group of incarcerated men and women struggle to earn college degrees and turn their lives around in one of the most rigorous and effective prison education programs in the United States – the Bard Prison Initiative.
Two local filmmakers, were involved with this program as teachers –– Joseph Muszynski (Peace, Love & Misunderstanding, Rhymes with Banana, Mahjong and the West), and Christina Mengert (The Last Keepers, Peace, Love & Misunderstanding, Rhymes with Banana, Mahjong and the West).
4/1/2020 –– For April fools day, we tried to find a film that seemed fitting. DOOMSDAYS might fit the bill in more ways than one. The story follows a runaway teen (Brian Charles Johnson) and an aimless drifter (Laura Campbell) who change the lives of two vagabonds Justin Rice, Leo Fitzpatrick) as they wander around the Catskills and break into vacation homes. The movie was directed by director Eddie Mullins, who was residing in Kingston and used regional locations wisely. Post production was also handled locally with Chad Smith from Massive Clouds handling the uniquely structured editing.
Variety wrote: ...Mullins and d.p. Cal Robertson steal the show with their widescreen, deep-focus comic style; many of the best gags involve characters spying on one another or action that unfolds in multiple planes at once. The formalism calls to mind numerous Wes Anderson features, as does scoring by the band Bang & Yell (of which Mullins is a member) that sounds a bit too much like Mark Mothersbaugh. But notwithstanding that echo — and, according to the press notes, a list of influences as divergent as William Wyler, Jim Jarmusch and Hou Hsiao-hsien — “Doomsdays” is disarmingly original.
3/31/2020 ––Today's streaming recommendation is Caryn Waechter's THE SISTERHOOD OF NIGHT, which was produced in the mid-Hudson Valley in 2014, primarily in Kingston, NY at Kingston High School. Cast featured Georgie Henley (Narnia), Kara Hayward (Paterson), Willa Cuthrell, Olivia DeJonge, Kal Penn (Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle) and hundreds of local teens (and adults) who were cast through Amy Hutchings Casting.
The story follows a teenager's claim that she was victimized by a secret society of her peers. The accusation whips up hysteria and throws the town into the national spotlight. The film made its NY Premiere at the Woodstock FIlm Festival to sold out audiences.
3/30/2020 –– Today's streaming recommendation is Hilary Brougher’s STEPHANIE DALEY. The feature narrative was produced in the Hudson Valley in 2006 and received the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. The story follows forensic psychologist Lydie Crane (Tilda Swinton), who once had a stillbirth and is pregnant again. As she takes on a personally difficult case, she must examine Stephanie Daley (Amber Tamblyn), a teenager who is about to stand trial for the murder of her newborn. Flashbacks reveal Stephanie's past, as the teen recounts her version of events leading to her pregnancy, her labor and her infant's death. The cast features Amber Tamblyn, Tilda Swinton, Timothy Hutton, Constance Wu.
3/29/1019 –– The documentary TEAM FOXCATCHER, by Emmy nominated, Hudson Valley filmmaker, Jon Greenhalgh, is ranked of the 50 Best Documentaries on Netflix! TEAM FOXCATCHER tells the true story of Dave Schultz, an Olympian and professional wrestler who was gunned down by John E. du Pont, a billionaire and one of the founders owner of Team Foxcatcher, a wrestling team who trained at du Pont’s compound.
The film was directed by Jon Greenhalgh and features unseen home footage and archived interviews to help the audience understand what exactly happened that led to du Pont killing his friend, Dave Schultz. Jon Greenhalgh is an Emmy nominated filmmaker who attended Syracuse University, where he met 1990 NCAA champion wrestler and teammate Mark Kerr. Kerr would later become the subject of Jon's first film titled THE SMASHING MACHINE, which aired in 2004 as an episode of the critically acclaimed documentary series HBO: America Undercover. In 2016 Greenhalgh directed TEAM FOXCATCHER, which was nominated for an Emmy in the Outstanding Historical Documentary category.
3/28/2020 –– Today's streaming recommendation is only available through March 31. WE ARE WHAT WE ARE was directed by Jim Mickle in 2012 in Ulster and Delaware Counties on the heels of hurricane Irene which left the region devastated. The narrative follows the Parker family, reclusive people who cling to ancient customs. Their secret lives are threatened when a torrential downpour and the death of the family matriarch forces daughters Iris and Rose to assume special responsibilities. The cast features Bill Sage, Ambyr Childers, Julia Garner, Wyatt Russell, Kelly McGillis, and the late Michael Parks.
In his review in Salon, Andrew O'Hehir wrote "It's a sinister, wistful and even sad portrait of one family that has followed the insanity and bloodthirstiness of American history into a dark corridor with no exit."
3/27/2020 –– Today's Hudson Valley Stream Fest recommendation is BITTER FEAST from Glass Eye Pix. Directed by Joe Maggio, the plot follows a celebrity chef (James Le Gros) that exacts revenge on a food blogger (Joshua Leonard) who has torpedoed his career. Production took place in West Shokan in 2009 with DP Michael McDonough, production designer Beck Underwood and art director Lisa Myers. The film screened at the 2019 Woodstock Film Festival with a special dinner & screening supervised by Mary Giuliani Catering & Events at The Emerson Resort.
3/26/2020 –– THE LAST KEEPERS, directed by Maggie Greenwald and featuring Aidan Quinn, Zosia Mamet, Virginia Madsen, Olympia Dukakis, Sam Underwood. The story follows the teenage daughter of a reclusive family, who falls in love with an unusual boy at school. Her mysterious powers awaken, and ancient family secrets change her life. The BCDF Pictures production in 2010, took place primarily around Kerhonkson, Kingston, Saugerties and Woodstock. Among many other referrals, the film commission referred White Pines at the The Byrdcliffe Colony and NYU student Max Schneider, who got a bit part, which eventually led him to leave school and head the Los Angeles for pilot season where he landed a starring role in Nickelodeon's HOW TO ROCK. From there, MAX took off with his singing career.
Our heartfelt and warm wishes go out to director Maggie Greenwald as she recovers from Covid19. She posted a few thoughts recently: " Others are sick, others that I am worried about. It's a changed world since I started feeling unwell three weeks ago. At the moment, I am grateful I got Covid 19 before all the hysteria and the changed world. Wherever you are, my friends and family, stay safe, stay close to your loved ones but remember we must be a community through this. We must stick together, though we are apart. We cannot weather this storm alone. I am ever grateful for all of you."
3/25/2020 –– Prior to his feature directorial debut SWALLOW, Carlo Mirabella-Davis helmed and produced KNIFE POINT in 2009. The short film, which follows an evangelical family that offers a traveling knife salesman a ride on their way through upstate New York, features Lev Gorn, Kate Lyn Sheil, Davis Hall, Jan Uczkowski, and Lucy McMichael. "It's always a great pleasure to watch filmmakers develop their skills from short topic to feature, especially when it involves local production," says Laurent Rejto from the film commission. "As the head programmer of shorts at the Woodstock Film Festival from 2000-2019, it's been amazing to follow the careers of hundreds of filmmakers from student to industry stalwart. Hope people will check out both KNIFE POINT and SWALLOW."
CLICK HERE TO STREAM SWALLOW ONLINE
3/24/2020 –– In addition to narrative features, many wonderful documentaries have been produced in the Hudson Valley region, including LITTLE WHITE LIES, which was directed by Lacey Schwartz & James Adolphus. Filmmaker Lacey Schwartz grew up in a typical upper middle class Jewish household in Woodstock, NY, with loving parents and a strong sense of her identity, despite occasional remarks from those around her who wondered how a white girl could have such dark skin. As a child she believed her family’s explanation — that her appearance was inherited from her dark-skinned Sicilian grandfather — but when she reaches her adolescence, and her parents abruptly separate, her gut begins to tell her something else.
3/23/2020 ––
Today's Hudson Valley Stream Fest recommendation is IN OUR NATURE, directed by Brian Savelson and co-starring Zach Gilford, Jena Malone, John Slattery, and Gabrielle Union. Their girlfriends in tow, an estranged father (Slattery) and son (Gilford) are forced to hash out their differences during a shared weekend in the family vacation home. Filmed primarily in Bearsville during the summer of 2011, IN OUR NATURE hired many local crew members and used The Film Center in Woodstock for its production office. Cast stayed at The Emerson Resort.
3/22/2020 ––
Today's Hudson Valley Stream Fest recommendation is LATE PHASES: NIGHT OF THE WOLF, directed by Adrián García Bogliano, and starring Nick Damici, Ethan Embry, Lance Guest. A secluded retirement community is plagued by mysterious and deadly attacks until a grizzled war veteran moves in, rallies the residents, and discovers a beast is behind the killings. When Glass Eye Pix producers Larry Fessenden and Brent Kunkle reached out for location help on LATE PHASES, the film commission worked behind the scenes to see if the Gardens of Rhinebeck would be available. The development had just been taken over by Kirchhoff Company and was being re-developed into luxury condos. With an introduction from Michael Oates, David Silver met with the producers and Laurent Rejto from the film commission. "He went out of his way to help," remember Rejto. "He offered dozens of units and even said that they could smash walls and windows. The producers were stunned by his willingness to help." Filming took place mostly at Gardens of Rhinebeck in May and June of 2013 with many local crew and cast members that were referred by the film commission.
3/21/2020 ––
Today's Hudson Valley Stream Fest recommendation is THE ESCAPE OF PRISONER 614 directed by Zach Golden. After two deputy sheriffs lose their jobs because of poor arrest records, they pursue an escaped convict to try and win back their badges. Nabbing the convict won't be half as dangerous as facing the ruthless sheriff who is tracking their every move. Production, which was handled by mostly local crew members, took place around Phoenicia, Saugerties and Shandaken during the fall of 2017.
"It was great and I'll be making plenty of films up here. HVFC was invaluable in getting us set up and guiding us through the local crews, vendors, actors, etc,” wrote director Zach Golden.
3/20/2020 –– Today's Hudson Valley Stream Fest recommendation is TWELVE, directed by Stephen Grimaldi. This family friendly film follows a young boy, who, with help from his family, lets nothing stand between him and his dream to play in the twelve-year-old world series. Production took place in Dutchess and Orange County in July and August of 2017 in Fishkill, Wappingers Falls and Newburgh. Click to watch trailer.
Line producer Ellyn Vander Wyden wrote "This was my third film in the Hudson Valley. I have has a good experiences every time. The HVFC was extremely helpful and supportive. CLICK HERE TO STREAM ONLINE.
3/19/2020 –– Today's Hudson Valley Stream Fest recommendation is the delightful comedy GROWING UP SMITH. The comedy was written by Anjul Nigam, Paul Quinn, and Gregory Scott Houghton. It was produced by Anjul Nigam, Frank Lotito, and Steve Straka and directed by Frank Lotito.
The movie takes place in 1979, when an Indian family moves to America with hopes of living the American Dream. While their 10-year-old boy Smith falls head-over-heels for the girl next door, his desire to become a "good old boy" propels him further away from his family's ideals than ever before. Watch the trailer at https://youtu.be/735hGL47SAc
The Hudson Valley Film Commission was initially involved very early on when cinematographer Declan Quinn introduced the project, which was based on a story by his brother Paul Quinn, who very sadly passed away several months after production. After several conference calls and meetings, locations were found by location manager Stephen Harris in and around Kingston, NY. The scene in the movie in which Smith crosses the bridge on his bicycle was filmed on the Kingston-Port Ewen Suspension Bridge crossing Rondout Creek between the town of Esopus and the city of Kingston. Local crew and cast were hired including actors Hilarie Burton and Tim Guinee. The film made its New York Premiere at the Woodstock Film Festival.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH ONLINE
3/18/2020 –– We continue our Hudson Valley Stream Fest with a film production that may seem a little too close to home for some.
FIRST WINTER, directed by Benjamin Dickinson develops during a winter of record-breaking cold, when a blackout strands a group of Brooklynites in a remote country farmhouse. At first, it's a party: drugs, sex, and yoga. But as the days go on and the food supply dwindles, the house guests are forced into a confrontation with their mortality. Cast features Paul Manza, Lindsay Burdge, Jennifer Kim.
FIRST WINTER was filmed primarily in Campbell Hall in 2011 and opened at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival.
3/17/2020 –– Hoping some of you had a chance to see the first episode of THE PLOT AGAINST AMERICA last night on HBO.
Few TV shows had filmed in the Hudson Valley region before several HBO shows were produced locally in 2019, including I KNOW THIS MUCH IS TRUE, THE UNDOING and THE PLOT AGAINST AMERICA.
Prior to 2019, during the extremely cold winter of 2014-15, Hudson Valley writer Shalom Auslander created, and executive produced (with Ken Kwapis and Alexandra Beattie) HAPPYISH for Showtime. The home of main character Thom Payne (Steve Coogan) was set in Woodstock. As a result, many scenes were filmed in the region including the UFO sighting over the Woodstock Day School. In addition to filming at local restaurants, homes, schools, art studios, and other locations, the municipal lot in Woodstock became film village central with hospitality at the nearby Colony.
HAPPYISH is available for streaming on Netflix at https://www.netflix.com/title/80036981
HAPPYISH, stars Kathryn Hahn, Steve Coogan, Sawyer Shipman, Bradley Whitford, Carrie Preston, Ellen Barkin, Rob Reiner, Andre Royo and hundreds of Hudson Valley locals.
Thom Payne (Coogan) is a 44 year-old man whose world is thrown into disarray when his 25 year-old "wunderkind" boss arrives, saying things like "digital", "social" and "viral." Is he in need of a "rebranding", or does he just have a "low joy ceiling"? Maybe pursuing happiness is a fool's errand? Maybe, after 44 years on this ludicrous planet, settling for happyish is the best one can expect.
3/16/2020 –– SKIN, directed by Guy Nattiv and starring Jamie Bell, Danielle Macdonald, Mike Colter and Vera Farmiga.
A man makes the dangerous choice to leave the neo-Nazi gang he joined as a teenager. He is determined to start a new life—if he can make it out alive. Filmed over a 24 day period during early 2018 in Kingston, Catskill, Port Ewen, Saugerties, and Ulster Park. More than 40 local crew members were hired in addition to 340 actors and extras.
3/15/2020 –– THE NIGHT LISTENER, directed by Patrick Stettner, and starring Robin Williams, Toni Collette, Joe Morton, Bobby Cannavale, Sandra Oh and Rory Culkin.
In the midst of his crumbling relationship, a radio show host begins speaking to his biggest fan, a young boy, via the telephone. But when questions about the boy's identity come up, the host's life is thrown into chaos.
Production in 2005 included Montgomery, Ellenville, Shokan, Phoenicia and several other regional towns.
3/14/2020 –– As we all try to make sense of COVID19 FACTS & related difficulties, it is important to stay informed and to keep a healthy and positive outlook. We recognize that this is a very distressing, confusing and hectic time. Many productions (including several local ones) are postponing start dates for safety reasons. Like many of you, we are trying to figure it out, one day at a time, and trying to stay productive.
It’s a good time to catch up on local films that are streaming online. We will compile and provide a directory in the coming week, but for now, HBO is premiering THE PLOT AGAINST AMERICA on Monday evening on March 16.
The series, which was partly filmed in the Hudson Valley, follows a working-class Jewish family in 1940s America, as the they watch the political rise of aviator-hero and xenophobic populist Charles Lindbergh. This six-part re-imagining of history is based on the Philip Roth novel of the same name. The series co stars SUNY New Paltz alumni John Turturro, Wynona Rider
n August, the Hudson Valley Film Commission started work on THE PLOT AGAINST AMERICA by producer David Simon (THE WIRE, TREME). Over a 5-day period, the production filmed in four regional counties, spent over $200,000 and rented 1,397 hotel rooms.
"Working in the Hudson Valley for THE PLOT AGAINST AMERICA was a truly enjoyable experience. It was a beautiful time of year to work upstate and the people, towns and communities were tremendously supportive and friendly,” said line producer Joe Guest. “The Hudson Valley Film Commission provided exceptional support from day one - with their support, we found great locations and quality local vendors & crew. Our show was set in the 1940s, which meant greater demands from the local area, and on a tight time frame. We found everything we were looking for locally - 1940’s picture cars, props and period-correct set dressing, facility support, a local contractor who built us a dirt road, a horse wrangler, the list goes on. Everyone went out of their way to ‘make it happen’ for us. A big plus - almost every day we managed to find ourselves at yet another restaurant with wonderful food and drink, and coffee. Overall an excellent experience. We look forward to our next opportunity to work in upstate New York.”
Click here to watch THE PLOT AGAINST AMERICA.
These precarious days also offer up a good opportunity to be creative. For example, it might be the perfect time to start that screenplay you’ve always wanted to write. Using Final Draft 11, you can brainstorm, visualize, report, tag, collaborate and customize your writing and the software automatically paginates and formats your script to industry standards.
And on a beautiful day like today, it’s a good time to start a vegetable garden and prepping seedlings inside.
Be well and take care of yourselves, and others.