“New York City’s production industry continues to grow, with 31,570 location shooting days in 2005, which represents a 35 percent increase from the year prior,” Katherine Oliver, commissioner of the NYC Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting, said. “So far this year, numerous commercials have shot in New York, for clients including American Express, Barnes & Noble, FreshDirect, Goldman Sachs & Co., Hershey’s, Honda, Maybelline, McDonalds, Microsoft, the New York Lottery, Panasonic, Pizza Hut, Porsche, Reebok, Sprint, Staples, Verizon, VH1 and Victoria’s Secret.”
Last week, the MOFTB announced the launch of “Hot Shots,” an online photo library on www.nyc.gov/film which gives producers and location managers instant access to a catalog of city-owned beaches, bridges, courthouses, highways, jails, military, police and fire facilities, parks and playgrounds, public spaces, and streets and intersections throughout the five boroughs which the city offers free of charge for production. Go to for more info: http://www.nyc.gov/html/film/html/news/020306_nyc_hotshots.shtml
On June 7, 2005, the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting launched the “Made in NY” discount card, which has grown to include over 400 vendors offering discounts to the production industry. The card lowers the cost of production in New York City and connects local businesses to the revenue generated by our $5 billion entertainment industry. Discounts are now available in 27 categories, including: Banking services, camera, grip and lighting, casting, electronics, construction and set design, digital effects, flowers and gifts, restaurants, hair, makeup and wardrobe, hotels, rental space, music, office supplies, postproduction and training, production crew, props, scenic supplies, stock footage and photography, and travel and transportation. Well over 100 productions took advantage of the “Made in NY” discount card from June-December 2005. Click here for more info: http://www.nyc.gov/html/film/html/discounts/discounts_home.shtml
NYC continues to offer to commercials such advantages as free permits, free police assistance and free access to city property, as well as sales tax exemptions on production goods and services.
Marlee Matlin Is “Not Alone Anymore” At Sundance, Opens Up In A New Documentary
Marlee Matlin gives an unflinchingly honest account of her experiences as a deaf actor in the funny and revelatory documentary "Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore." The film kicked off the 41st Sundance Film Festival Thursday, as the first major premiere in the Eccles Theater in Park City, Utah.
After the screening audiences in the theater, some wiping tears away, greeted Matlin with a standing ovation when she took the stage.
The film delves into all aspects of her life, personal and professional: Her childhood and how her family handled learning she had become deaf at 18 months; her experience winning the best actress Oscar for her first movie role in "Children of a Lesser God" and her allegedly abusive romantic relationship with her co-star, the late William Hurt, which he denied; and her experiences in an industry not equipped to accommodate deaf actors.
The film was directed by Shoshanna Stern, who also is deaf. Matlin specifically requested that Stern take on the project when American Masters approached her about doing a documentary.
Matlin has written about her experiences before, including her volatile relationship with Hurt and drugs, in a memoir, "I'll Scream Later." But before the #MeToo movement, she felt her allegations were largely dismissed or glossed over.
Interviews from the book's press tour show journalists were more interested in the "amazing sex" she said she had with Hurt than the stories of the alleged physical and verbal abuse. One interviewer asked her why she waited "so long" to come forward with the claims.
The documentary isn't just a portrait of Matlin, but a broader look at deaf culture and how Matlin was thrust into the spotlight at a young age as a de facto spokesperson for all deaf... Read More