Two of the Eastern seaboard states hardest hit by Hurricane Irene remarkably emerged relatively unscathed when it came to their filmmaking business. That was the word from Aaron Syrett and Joe Bookchin, the film commissioners of North Carolina and Vermont, respectively.
Syrett noted, “All productions are up and running. Two productions took a day off on Friday (8/26) as a precaution in preparations for the storm….There wasn’t any damage to our studio facilities. Business as usual today.”
While footage of significant flooding in parts of Vermont was prevalent in news coverage, entertainment filming activity hasn’t been adversely affected as of yet, according to Bookchin. “New information is still coming in–but there are no major setbacks that I know of so far,” he reported.
Bookchin related that the biggest Irene-triggered entertainment/arts casualty in Vermont has to this point has been a new stage musical, Saint-Ex, which was continuing its run at The Weston Playhouse in the city of Weston. The facility was overrun this past Sunday with between six and 12 feet of water in various lower levels of the theater. The grand piano used for the show was destroyed when the orchestra pit was flooded. The overflow was from the nearby West River.
Escaping the worst of Irene, Washington, D.C. still had plans scrapped for what was to have been Sunday’s dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial. Extensive filming of the event was scheduled, including a documentary which was postponed.
Irene’s impact was also felt at last weekend’s box office with people all along the East Coast holed up in their residences. Initial estimates are that domestic movie theater receipts dropped some 20 percent due to Irene.
“Anora” Wins Best Film, Director and Actor At The Independent Spirit Awards
Sean Baker's "Anora" won best film, best director and best actor for Mikey Madison at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday in what could be a preview of next Sunday's Oscars: The film about a Brooklyn sex worker and her whirlwind affair with a Russian oligarch's son has emerged in recent weeks as an awards season front-runner. The Spirit Awards, held in a beachside tent in Santa Monica, California, is the shaggier, more irreverent sister to the Academy Awards, celebrating the best in independent film and television. Host Aidy Bryant called it "Hollywood's third or fourth biggest night." In accepting the directing prize, Baker spoke passionately about the difficulty of making independent films in an industry that is no longer able to fund riskier films. He said indies are in danger of becoming calling card films — movies made only as a means to get hired for bigger projects. "The system has to change because this is simply unsustainable," Baker said to enthusiastic applause. "We shouldn't be barely getting by." "Anora's" best film competition included Jane Schoenbrun's psychological horror "I Saw the TV Glow," RaMell Ross' adaptation of Colson Whitehead's "Nickel Boys," Greg Kwedar's incarceration drama "Sing Sing" and Coralie Fargeat's body horror "The Substance." This year had several other possible Oscar winners celebrating. Kieran Culkin, considered an Oscar favorite, won the supporting performance award for "A Real Pain." His director, co-star and writer Jesse Eisenberg won best screenplay for the film about two cousins embarking on a Holocaust tour in Poland. Culkin was not there to accept — he also missed his BAFTA win last weekend to tend to a family member — but other Oscar nominees like Madison, Demi Moore, Sebastian Stan and... Read More