Horse-drawn carriages were back on the streets of Troy, N.Y., in August, alongside equipment trucks, honey wagons and camera cranes. HBO’s “The Gilded Age” had returned to shoot scenes for the second season of the series, which explores the lives of monied families and the people who serve them in 1880s New York. The previous year, the production had covered the streets of Troy’s Monument Square with truckloads of dirt to turn it into a period-correct downtown Manhattan shopping district, and also utilized other well-preserved 19th century structures in the town, 152 miles north of Manhattan, including the Rensselaer County Court House, the Savings Bank Music Hall and the Troy Public Library, along with its Washington Park neighborhood and the Oakwood Cemetery.
“The buildings [in Monument Park] were built between the 1820s and 1880s, and many of them are perfectly restored,” says the show’s location manager Lauri Pitkus. “You can...
“The buildings [in Monument Park] were built between the 1820s and 1880s, and many of them are perfectly restored,” says the show’s location manager Lauri Pitkus. “You can...
- 10/13/2022
- by Todd Longwell
- Variety Film + TV
The region’s golden light and natural beauty first attracted the Hudson River School — Thomas Cole, Frederic Church and Albert Bierstadt — whose luminous paintings captured the local landscape. While the region has long attracted filmmakers, Hollywood on the Hudson has never quite arrived. Until now. As Manhattanites throng the area approximately 90 miles north of the city, there’s hard data to show there’s never been more production upstate, from Beacon to Troy, and Fleischmanns to Amenia.
According to the Hudson Valley Film Commission (Hvfc), the area hosted no fewer than 15 film and television projects in the second quarter of 2021, including “The White House Plumbers,” “The Sex Lives of College Girls” and “Life & Beth.” The three-month period was the most active production in the commission’s 21-year history, with direct spending estimates amounting to $25 million.
“The good news is that those productions spend enormous amounts of money,” Hvfc director Laurent Rejto says.
According to the Hudson Valley Film Commission (Hvfc), the area hosted no fewer than 15 film and television projects in the second quarter of 2021, including “The White House Plumbers,” “The Sex Lives of College Girls” and “Life & Beth.” The three-month period was the most active production in the commission’s 21-year history, with direct spending estimates amounting to $25 million.
“The good news is that those productions spend enormous amounts of money,” Hvfc director Laurent Rejto says.
- 10/23/2021
- by Thelma Adams
- Variety Film + TV
The Woodstock Film Festival, New York’s self-declared “fiercely independent” weeklong cinema celebration, wrapped its 20th edition on October 6. Held within the welcoming milieu of the Hudson Valley, the forward-thinking gathering hosts films, panels, parties and award ceremonies not just in Woodstock, but also in neighboring towns Rosendale, Rhinebeck, Saugerties and Kingston.
At the heart of Wff are co-founders Laurent Rejto and Meira Blaustein, who, along with a number of devoted industry stalwarts (many have resided in the region), ensure that smart, inclusive programming of contemporary narratives, documentaries, shorts and animations are screened. It’s why the festival has developed an identity all its own.
In honor of the Woodstock Film Festival’s 20th anniversary, Variety sat down with Rejto to look back at the road taken to reach the milestone.
What was your vision for the Woodstock Film Festival two decades ago?
The vision was to create a filmmaker-friendly festival,...
At the heart of Wff are co-founders Laurent Rejto and Meira Blaustein, who, along with a number of devoted industry stalwarts (many have resided in the region), ensure that smart, inclusive programming of contemporary narratives, documentaries, shorts and animations are screened. It’s why the festival has developed an identity all its own.
In honor of the Woodstock Film Festival’s 20th anniversary, Variety sat down with Rejto to look back at the road taken to reach the milestone.
What was your vision for the Woodstock Film Festival two decades ago?
The vision was to create a filmmaker-friendly festival,...
- 10/9/2019
- by Mitch Myers
- Variety Film + TV
Francine, the debut feature from co-directors Brian M. Cassidy and Melanie Shatzky had it’s first Sx screening yesterday having recently garnered some great reviews coming out of this years Berlinale. The filmmakers along with their star Melissa Leo, were kind enough to sit down with us before the screening to to talk a little about the film ahead of it’s North American Premiere.
So your film is screening in a couple of hours. I look forward to seeing it with an audience. Can you tell us a little about your picture?
Melanie Shatzky: Well the film is about a woman who has been incarcerated for a chunk of her life. She’s just been released from prison and is trying to readjust to life in the free word. She has a hard time connecting with people and instead finds solace in animals.
And that’s about all...
So your film is screening in a couple of hours. I look forward to seeing it with an audience. Can you tell us a little about your picture?
Melanie Shatzky: Well the film is about a woman who has been incarcerated for a chunk of her life. She’s just been released from prison and is trying to readjust to life in the free word. She has a hard time connecting with people and instead finds solace in animals.
And that’s about all...
- 3/13/2012
- by Scott Colquitt
- SoundOnSight
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