At The Oscars a few weeks ago, Melissa Leo was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role for the film Frozen River. What many Upstate New Yorkers don’t realize, is the film was made in our backyard last winter.

“Frozen River” was filmed in the Plattsburgh and Beekmantown areas of Clinton County in 24 wintry days in 2007, but the story’s setting is the Massena/Akwesasne area.

The film’s director, Courtney Hunt, said the area was chosen because  it was easier to film on Lake Champlain and the Plattsburgh area offered more accommodations for the cast and crew.

The movie is about Ray Eddy, a broke “trailer mom” who is lured into the world of illegal immigrant smuggling when she meets a Mohawk girl. The pair make runs across the frozen St. Lawrence carrying illegal Chinese and Pakistani immigrants in the trunk of Ray’s Dodge Spirit.

Ms. Hunt said the genesis for the movie came during trips to the north country. Her husband, Donald A. Harwood, was born in Malone and is a graduate of St. Lawrence University, Canton. Ms. Hunt said her husband has relatives in the Malone and Burke areas, which they often visit.

Frozen River is available on DVD now.