THE MISEDUCATION OF CAMERON POST, based on the coming-of-age teen novel by Emily M. Danforth has won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival.
The film, which was directed by Desiree Akhavan, was produced in the Hudson Valley in November and December of 2016. The story centers on a teenage girl (Chloë Grace Moretz) who is outed as a lesbian and sent to a gay conversion therapy center by her evangelical aunt. Sasha Lane, Forrest Goodluck and John Gallagher Jr. co-star.
Director and screenwriter Christina Choe was awarded the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award for NANCY, which was produced in the Hudson Valley in January of 2017. The film follows a young woman (played by Andrea Riseborough) with a habit for spinning fantastical stories around her quiet life as a temp. When she sees a report on TV about parents whose daughter was abducted years prior, the photofit of what she might look like today looks similar enough to Nancy that she reaches out to them. The film also features John Leguizamo and Steve Buscemi.
THE MISEDUCATION OF CAMERON POST was directed by Desiree Akhavan and based on the coming-of-age teen novel by Emily M. Danforth. Production took place at the end of 2016. The film commission worked with Unit Production Manager Rob Cristiano who has worked in the Hudson several times for productions including THE STRANGE ONES and MY FIRST KISS. THE MISEDUCATION OF CAMERON POST filmed in Saugerties, Catskill, and the high school scenes were filmed at Coxsackie High School. Local extras were cast by casting director Heidi Eklund of Hudson Valley Casting.
NANCY, directed by Christina Choe, stars Andrea Riseborough and two part time Hudson Valley residents John Leguizamo and Steve Buscemi. The film came to our attention via production supervisor Kara Janesko, an Ulster County resident who worked on IT COMES AT NIGHT (currently on Netflix) in 2016. The film commission helped with casting, crew and location referrals. Executive producer Mynette Louie has attended the Woodstock Film Festival several times (CALIFORNIA SOLO, ARCADIA, CHILDREN OF INVENTION, MUTUAL APPRECIATION) and has brought several films to the Hudson Valley, including THE STRANGE ONES (currently in theaters), and COLD COMES THE NIGHT. Producer Michele Cameron has also worked on quite a few films in the region including GROWING UP SMITH, HITS and FIRST WINTER.
For more SUNDANCE AWARD INFO, see Hollywood Reporter
Hudson Valley films have had past success at Sundance with several films winning major prizes including:
PERSONAL VELOCITY (2002 release but produced in 2001) by Rebecca Miller
*Won Sundance Grand Jury Prize for Dramatic Film and the Cinematography Award (Ellen Kuras)
DOWN TO THE BONE (2004 release but produced in 2003) by Debra Granick
*Won Sundance Director's Award (Debra Granik) and the Special Jury Prize (Vera Farmiga)
STEPHANIE DALEY (2006 release but produced in 2005) by Hilary Brougher
*Won Sundance Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award
MAN ON WIRE (2008) by James Marsh
* Won Sundance Grand Jury Prize: World Cinema Documentary and the World Cinema Audience Award
SMASH HIS CAMERA (2010) by Leon Gast
*Won Sundance directing award for Documentary Film
MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE (2011) by Sean Durkin
*Won Sundance U.S. Directing Award for Best Drama