Many will remember 2019 for the mega productions that took place in the Mid Hudson Valley. Major production companies including HBO, Hulu, Netflix, Paramount and Showtime helped the region turn the corner with TV shows, limited series and feature films including A QUIET PLACE II, BILLIONS, I KNOW THIS MUCH IS TRUE, I”M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS, MONSTERLAND and THE PLOT AGAINST AMERICA.
On location in Hudson Valley with PERSONAL VELOCITY. Photo courtesy of HVFC
The 2020 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL selections will remind people that the Mid Hudson Valley is also a bastion for low budget indie films. The “SUNDANCE track record for films produced in the region dates back to Rebecca Miller’s PERSONAL VELOCITY: THREE PORTRAITS (2002), which won the Grand Jury Prize and the Cinematography Award for Ellen Kuras. It was the first “film” shot on a SONY PD-150 to win the prize. Other big winners at Sundance include Debra Granik’s DOWN TO THE BONE (2004). The Grand Jury Prize and Directing Award went to Granik. A special jury prize went to Vera Farmiga for her performance. Hilary Brougher’s STEPHANIE DALEY (2006) was nominated for a Grand Jury Prize and walked away with the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award. James Marsh’s MAN ON WIRE (2008) was partly filmed in the Mid Hudson Valley and won the World Cinema Jury Prize Documentary Award, prior to winning Oscar. Also in 2008, FROZEN RIVER, which featured local actor Melissa Leo and director Courtney Hunt, was awarded the Grand Jury Prize. Jumping ahead, 2018 brought another Grand Jury Prize for the locally produced feature narrative, THE MISEDUCATION OF CAMERON POST by Desiree Akhavan. Christina Choe’s NANCY was honored with the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award.
This incredible run bodes well for the five locally produced feature narratives heading to the 2020 Sundance FIlm Festival. They include (alphabetically):
BLACK BEAR, directed by Lawrence Michael Levine, filmed briefly in the Hudson Valley during the summer of 2019. The film features Aubrey Plaza, Christopher Abbott, and Sarah Gadon.
"We're honored to have BLACK BEAR in Sundance this year, along with so many great films, and many from the Hudson Valley,” wrote producer Jonathan Blitstein, who filmed his 2013 directorial debut ANOTHER KIND in the region. “Tandem Pictures has a history of shooting films in and around the area, and we love it. Not only does it make economic sense for independent filmmakers to work in NY-State, there are amazing crews around the Valley, the sights and locations are one of a kind, and the support of the Hudson Valley Film Commission is unparalleled."
Synopsis: At a remote lake house, a filmmaker plays a calculated game of desire and jealousy in the pursuit of a work of art that blurs the boundaries between autobiography and invention.
THE CLIMB, directed by Michael Covino filmed primarily in Columbia County during the summer of 2018. The cast features Kyle Marvin, Michael Covino, Gayle Rankin, Talia Balsam, George Wendt, and Judith Godrèche.
“I'm from the Hudson Valley, got married to my wife there, and return every Christmas,” wrote producer Noah Lang. “I've also had the privilege of producing several films throughout the region (including Christopher Radcliff and Lauren Wolkstein's THE STRANGE ONES) and greater New York state There isn't a more comfortable, economically viable, collaborative, and visually impactful region for indie filmmaking out there in my opinion. There's nothing more valuable than good people (and good locations and resources) which the Hudson Valley has in force. Look forward to returning in 2020 with another film.”
Synopsis: Kyle and Mike are best friends who share a close bond—until Mike sleeps with Kyle’s fiancée. A portrait of a tumultuous but enduring relationship between two men across many years of laughter, heartbreak, and rage.
SAVE YOURSELVES, written and directed by Eleanor Wilson and Alex Fischer, filmed during the summer of 2019.
“Shooting in upstate NY was our intention even before we started writing the script,” wrote Wilson and Fischer. “We were VERY excited that the logistical aspects made it not only easy, but hugely beneficial to shoot in the Hudson Valley. Laurent was one of the first people we talked to about the film, and was hugely helpful getting us in touch with all the right people. Having access to locations that appear to be so remote while actually being 5-10 minutes away from real amenities and comforts was a dream. Special shout out to Krumville! And to Jesse Rolfe, location scout king.”
Synopsis: A young Brooklyn couple head upstate to disconnect from their phones and reconnect with themselves. Cut off from their devices, they miss the news that the planet is under attack
Cast features Sunita Mani, John Reynolds, Ben Sinclair, Johanna Day, John Early, and Gary Richardson.
SCARE ME, directed Ulster County native Josh Ruben, was produced in January and February of 2019. "I've shot everything in the Hudson Valley," says Ruben. "From superhero fight scenes on the Sony Handicam Hi8 my parents gifted me for elementary school graduation, to sketches for my comedy group, to now, my directorial debut, which is headed for the most exciting film festival in the world. My next feature shoots in the Hudson Valley, and I plan to film my third there as well. What can I say - it's a magic place that photographs pretty well."
Synopsis: During a power outage, two strangers tell scary stories. The more Fred and Fanny commit to their tales, the more the stories come to life in the dark of a Catskills cabin. The horrors of reality manifest when Fred confronts his ultimate fear: Fanny is the better storyteller.
The cast features Aya Cash, Josh Ruben, Chris Redd, and Rebecca Drysdale.
SCARE ME cast and crew. Photo courtesy of Hudson Valley Film Commission
SHIRLEY, directed by Josephine Decker and starring Elisabeth Moss, Michael Stuhlbarg, Odessa Young, and Logan Lerman was filmed during the summer of 2018 in Greene and Ulster Counties and at Vassar College in Dutchess County.
"The Hudson Valley provided everything we as independent producers needed to create an impactful, important work of art," emailed producer Jon Read, who also worked on ZOLA, which is also heading to Sundance.
Synopsis: A young couple moves in with the famed author, Shirley Jackson, and her Bennington College professor husband, Stanley Hyman, in the hope of starting a new life but instead find themselves fodder for a psycho-drama that inspires Shirley’s next novel.
On location with SHIRLEY at Vassar College. Photo courtesy of Hudson Valley Film Commission
The Hudson Valley Film Commission helps productions secure local crew, cast, locations, vendors, post production facilities, and more! Since 2000, the film commission has supported and worked on over 500 productions, helping to create thousands of jobs and over $200 million in regional economic development.
If you are looking for help with your next production (or post production), contact us at filmcommission@me.com
SELECT Hudson Valley productions:
Billions • Monsterland • Things Heard and Seen • Audrey • The Plot Against America • Silent Retreat • Lapsis • Save Yourselves • Foxhole • The Undoing • I Know This Much Is True • I’m Thinking of Ending Things • Scare Me • Can You Keep a Secret? • Panic • High Maintenance • Shirley • The Dead Don't Die • Avengers: Endgame • The Climb • The Irishman • Skin • The Mountain • A Quiet Place • Fabled • Then Came You • Furlough • A Vigilante • Nancy • Diane • The Miseducation of Cameron Post • It Comes at Night • Super Dark Times • The Seagull • HAPPYish • The Ticket • Growing Up Smith • Cold in July • Katie Fforde Films • True Story • The Sisterhood of Night • The Better Angels • We Are What We Are • The Bourne Legacy • Frances Ha • Our Idiot Brother • First Winter • The Last Keepers • Francine • Peace, Love, & Misunderstanding • Martha Marcy May Marlene • Higher Ground • Rocksteady • Bitter Feast • Stake Land • Man on Wire • Taking Woodstock • American Gangster • Michael Clayton • The Human Footprint • The Night Listener • Stephanie Daley • War of the Worlds • Down to the Bone • Personal Velocity
Please support our continued efforts with a tax-deductible contribution at www.hudsonvalleyfilmcommission.org/support