SXSW kicked off in Austin on March 8 with 4 productions that were filmed (in part or whole) in the Hudson Valley. and one that had post production work done in the region.
FALLOUT
On March 8 from 12-6pm @ the Hotel San Jose and Mar 9 from 10am–6pm @ Austin Motel, Prime Video presented an exclusive SXSW special event for the Original Series that premieres on Prime Video on April 12.
Based on one of the greatest video game series of all time, Fallout star Ella Purnell, Aaron Moten, Walton Goggins and tohers in a story of haves and have-nots in a world in which there’s almost nothing left to have. 200 years after the apocalypse, the gentle denizens of luxury fallout shelters are forced to return to the irradiated hellscape their ancestors left behind — and are shocked to discover an incredibly complex, gleefully weird and highly violent universe waiting for them.
The Hudson Valley Film Commission worked closely with more than four location scouts to provide information for several primary locations that were used.
“You are, without a doubt, the hardest working film rep in New York State, if not the country, and we are always grateful and humbled by your endless efforts.” –Chris Arena, IBT 817, Location Manager for FALLOUT (Amazon Studios)
"Thank you for your ongoing help regarding locations and logistics. Specific dates and times are still being finalized and details worked out. Thanks again as always.” –R. Richard Hobbs, IBT 817, Location Scout
Watch the trailer at https://youtu.be/0kQ8i2FpRDk?si=S3c6O6IU6wWyZRO8
FAMILY
On location in Rhinebeck with Family
Benjamin Finkel's Family was filmed primarily in Rhinebeck, and at Woodstock Film Studios (now Cobalt Stages) in July and August of 2022. The film features Ruth Wilson (The Woman in the Wall, The Affair), Ben Chaplin, Cameron Dawson Gray (credited as Lucinda Lee Dawson Gray), and Allan Corduner.
11-year-old Johanna’s world is falling apart. She’s just moved across the country for her father Harry’s medical treatment, and as her father declines and her mother Naomi is consumed with caring for him, Johanna feels horribly alone. In desperation, she makes a call out into the universe for a good spirit to save her family. But as the long summer days wear on, and a series of increasingly disturbing events rips through her home, she begins to fear that something else has come instead — a terrifying presence from some dark corner of the universe that has latched on to her family and is now eating them from the inside.
"One of the things I enjoy most about working in the Hudson Valley is the crew,” said line producer, UPM John D. Hay. “I have worked with some of the same folks on multiple projects and they are some of the most caring and hard working crew members I have ever worked with."
Crew included many local industry members including John Hay as line producer and UPM. Other local crew members included Richard Auth (key grip), Jimmy Bayreuther (G&E), Michele Bayreuther (set Medic), Oren Davids (add't one set dresser), Al Delia (company grip), Rob Fattoroni (best boy grip), Jeffrey Francis (construction grip), Eugene Hitt (sfx coordinator) Mike “Spicy” Hunold (gaffer), Dashiell Hunold ((p.a.)) Amy Hutchings (background casting), Jim Glorioso (health & safety), Sean Hawk (construction manager), Bill Hevesssy (G&E), Simon Lawless (unit p.a.), Matthew Nadler (p.a.),Erica Pearce (makeup), Brian Powers (leadperson), Tashav Powers (on set dresser), Leah Reingewirtz (location manager), Doria Riker (makeup), Vic Radulov (catering), Daniel Rohn (production supervisor), Michael Sofokles (still photography), Brian Stevens (set medic), Anthony Stracquadanio (G&E), Shauna Terruso (company grip), Alisa Traskunov (script supervisor), Crawford Watson (company grip), Charlie Wylie (company grip), Alan Wolfe (1st A.C.).
For screening times, see https://schedule.sxsw.com/2024/films/2196598
SING SING
In 2022, the Hudson Valley Film Commission recommended many locations, including Downstate Correctional, for Greg Kwedar's Sing Sing, starring Colman Domingo, Clarence Maclin, Paul Raci, Sean San José, and Sharon Washington. HVFC also recommended crew members, vendors and worked with Rita Powers Casting to find background actors from the region to portray inmates and guards.
Divine G (Colman Domingo), imprisoned at Sing Sing for a crime he didn’t commit, finds purpose by acting in a theatre group with other incarcerated men. When a wary outsider joins the group, the men decide to stage their first original comedy, in this stirring true story of resilience, humanity, and the transformative power of art, starring an unforgettable ensemble cast of formerly incarcerated actors.
"You made filming in the Hudson Valley a pleasure. The vast resources you shared, your community connections and insights, and your troubleshooting were invaluable. Thank you for welcoming us and being a steady support throughout our entire production. We look forward to more filming in the Hudson Valley in the future!” –Karin Young Shiel, Co-Producer, Sing Sing (August 2022)
Watch trailer at https://youtu.be/j3dXc6P3zH8
WE CAN BE HEROES
As the father of two kids who participated with the Wayfinder Experience from its inception, I’m looking forward to seeing WE CAN BE HEROES by directors Carina Mia Wong and Alex Simmons. The documentary celebrates the fleeting, but profoundly formative moments that make up the most intense years of adolescence, with a little help from foam swords.
Sometimes, finding your tribe requires a bit of magic. For attendees of a live action role-playing (LARP) camp in upstate New York, the deeply accepting environment has given neurodivergent, queer, and self-proclaimed "nerdy" teenagers the space for self-discovery that they have never found anywhere else. As the campers immerse themselves in this imaginative world, they discover inner strength, heal from traumas, and emerge as heroes, both in the fantasy realm and in real life.
WE CAN BE HEROES was awarded a Special Jury Prize.for Documentary Feature.
Click to read the Hollywood Reporter review
POST PRODUCTION HIGHLIGHT
THE BLACK SEA
Sound Design for THE BLACK SEA was handled by Bearsville’s Coll Anderson of C.A Sound (Barbie, Dr. Death, The Jinx, Black Swan…)
Inspired by Derrick B. Harden’s travels to Bulgaria, THE BLACK SEA is the transformative journey of a man who finds unexpected connections in a small coastal Eastern European town even as he finds himself to be the only black person around.
Khalid, a charismatic big dreamer from Brooklyn, with no follow-thru gets stuck in a small town on the Black Sea after chasing an opportunity for money that goes wrong. Being the only black guy in the town, he quickly becomes the center of the town’s attention. His New York City street bop is all he has to survive. In his pursuit to get home he finds connection in a way he never expected with a local woman. Together they make their small dreams big.
