The first two months of 2022 have been peppered with premieres for many of the Film & TV projects that were produced (at least in part) in the mid Hudson Valley. These productions, which feature local cast, crew and vendors, made 2021 a breakthrough year for regional Film & TV production, with record numbers for direct spending, hotel room rentals, jobs, and more. This was a very welcome bounce back from the 2020 shutdown and the difficulties created by the Covid-19 Pandemic.
In 2021, the Hudson Valley Film Commission collected the following data:
Estimated local spending: $58-million*
Room Nights Rented: 42,686
Scouting Days Tallied: 374
Production Days Tallied: 471*
Number of Locations Used: 264
Local crew hired: 631*
Local ‘featured’ actors hired: 72*
Local background extras hired: 4,048
*asterisk indicate record number
Data collected by the Hudson Valley Film Commission doesn’t include "multipliers" or indirect spending. That revenue, which results from dining out, recreation, shopping, tourism, new businesses, indirect jobs, distribution, royalties, and new home buyers, should be taken into consideration.
A short recap of recent premieres includes (listed by release date):
MASTER (Amazon Studios), directed by Mariama Diallo, features Regina Hall who will be co-hosting the Oscars. The film premiered to great reviews at the Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2022. It will also screen at SXSW in Austin then premiere on Amazon Prime on March 18, 2022. Vassar College was selected to double for the fictional Ancaster College. Production took place on campus in March of 2020, but stopped due to the Covid 19 pandemic outbreak. Filming continued at Vassar College in January 2021. Regina Hall will be co-hosting the 2022 Oscars.
THE GILDED AGE (HBO), created by Julian Fellowes (DOWNTON ABBEY) premieres on January 24, 2022. Production work on Season One took place in Troy, NY but featured many Hudson Valley cast, crew and vendors, who were hired for the monumental project which is set in 1882. Season Two production is slated to begin this summer and location scouting has started.
Watch the trailer at https://youtu.be/wKj1cMz3yfI
STAY AWAKE, directed by Jamie Sisley, and starring Chrissy Metz (THIS IS US), Wyatt Oleff and Fin Argus, world premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival on February 12, 2022 where it was honored with the Cinema Vision 14plus award.
Filming took place primarily in Saugerties and Kingston.
A FAIRY TALE AFTER ALL (Vertical Entertainment), directed by Eric Peter Carlson included scenes produced in Poughkeepsie and at Wings Castle in Millbrook.
Filming took place in November of 2019 and 2021.
The film was released in select theaters and V.O.D on February 18, 2022.
Watch the trailer at https://youtu.be/brZ5Xuvb1U4
SEVERANCE (Apple TV+), directed by Ben Stiller features SUNY New Paltz alumni John Turturro, as well as Adam Scott, Patricia Arquette, and Cristopher Walken. Filming took place at the Phoenicia Diner, the Kingston Rondout and Main Street in Beacon.
The first two episodes were released on Apple TV+ on February 18, 2022. Watch the trailer at https://youtu.be/WJYlG5I4rOk
TED K (NEON), directed by Bard College alumni Tony Stone filmed scenes in Columbia County and in Albany featuring many local background actors, and crew. Released in select theaters and V.O.D on 2/18/2022.
Watch the trailer at https://youtu.be/eAyS2OoLznI
THE ENDGAME (NBC Universal), directed by Justin Lin (best known for THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS franchise, premieres on NBC and PeacockTV on February 21, 2022. Local production featured an amazing car stunt, which was filmed in Putnam Valley at Glynwood Farms.
Watch the trailer at https://www.tinyurl.com/endgameonnbc
If you’re in Washington D.C. on March 4, check out the DC Independent Film Festival world premiere of LIVING IN DELUSIONVILLE, a documentary by Hudson Valley filmmaker Constant van Hoeven.
From humble Midwestern beginnings, processing the commercial imagery of pop culture into a darker, funnier universe that he calls Delusionville, legendary art Ron English has pranked and pummeled his way into prominence, influencing generations of artists and laying the groundwork for the explosion of Street Art. The screening will be followed by a Q&A Constant van Hoeven and Ron English, who also hails from the Hudson Valley.
For tickets and additional info, visit www.tinyurl.com/delusionvilleindc
LINOLEUM, directed by Colin West, will world premiere on March 12, 2022 at SXSW in Austin, as part of the Narrative Feature Competition. Filming primarily took place in the Town of Ulster, Kingston, and Saugerties in October and November of 2019. The cast features Jim Gaffigan, Rhea Seehorn, Katelyn Nacon, Gabriel Rush, Amy Hargreaves, West Duchovny, Michael Ian Black, Tony Shalhoub, Elisabeth Henry (local), Roger Hendricks Simon and many local extras.
LIFE & BETH (Hulu), which was created by Amy Schumer, will premiere on March 18, 2022. The series, which filmed in the Dutchess and Putnam County towns of Milan, Putnam Valley, Red Hook, and Staatsburgh, co-stars Michael Cera, Susannah Flood, Violet Young, Kevin Kane, Yamaneika Saunders, Laura Benanti, Larry Owens, Michael Rapaport, Rosebud Walker, LaVar Walker and many Hudson Valley background extras. Amy Schumer will also be co-hosting the 2022 Oscars.
Watch the trailer at https://youtu.be/Dfz11eEOif0
THE INSTITUTE is a Thriller/ SciFi/ Horror genre film that tells the story of a couple desperate to have a child that begins treatment at a renowned doctor's secluded facility. The couple becomes suspicious when the medical regimen brings on psychological side effects and try to learn the truth about The Institute.
Filming took place primarily in Ulster County. Distribution will be available across streaming platforms on March 22, 2022 courtesy of Gravitas Ventures.
Watch the trailer at https://youtu.be/VzlCc68RuiY
There are plenty more premieres coming down the road. For more info about upcoming premieres, visit www.tinyurl.com/hvfcstreamfest
Film & TV, with its ripple effect of prep, production, post, and distribution, has created regional opportunities in an industry that generates billions of dollars in annual economic activity. As production crews come to the region, they create mutually beneficial relationships and require broad support and involvement from local businesses and residents.
2022 is off to a fast start with several Film & TV productions already in the works and about half a dozen projects in consideration. We are also buoyed by the news that several TV projects that filmed in the region in 2021 have been renewed for second seasons. Those projects include THE GILDED AGE (HBO), INVASION (Apple TV+), SEVERANCE (Apple TV+), and Mindy Kaling’s THE SEX LIVES OF COLLEGE GIRLS (HBO MAX). We’re looking forward to continued economic development and local jobs.