According to the Utica OD, “A Utica resident is a key figure in an Oscar-nominated documentary about civilian protest in one of the world’s most repressive nations. In September 2007, U Gawsita led fellow monks and tens of thousands of Burmese residents through Rangoon in Myanmar (formerly Burma), in opposition to the country’s longstanding military regime.”
The protest was captured on film and that footage was eventually used in the documentary Burma VJ, which has been nominated for an Academy Award.
You can read the full story here. The Oscars air on ABC March 7.
It looks like RPattz might be headed our way!
Rumors are rampant that Robert Pattinson may be filming parts of Water for Elephants in Ithaca, NY this summer. The film’s plot, which centers on a Cornell University veterinary student who drops out and joins the circus after his parents are killed, makes Ithaca an obvious choice among potential filming locations.
It is being reported that the production may be descending on Cornell’s campus in Ithaca this June though the reports have not been verified. Cornell University press officer Blaine Friedlander told the Ithaca Journal that he was unable to confirm whether the school would be used as a film location.
As an upstate New Yorker myself, I’ll be paying close attention to this story but I’m not to get too excited by the prospect of RPattz filming here until the rumors are confirmed. Stay tuned!
Last night the city of Rochester helped provide a backdrop for a new movie that’s being filmed in upstate NY.
All downtown business were asked to keep their lights on until 6 p.m. so a film crew could shoot an aerial scene of the city.
The scene is for a new drama is called “After” about secrets and how far some people will go to protect the ones they love.
Penfield-native Sabrina Gennarino is the writer, producer and one of the stars of the film. She joins Diane Neal from “Law & Order SVU”, Oscar-nominated actress Kathleen Quilin and Darrin Dewitt Henson from “The Express” in the film.
Production Weekly sent an interesting Tweet earlier this month that said Paul Dano would be filming his next movie in upstate NY. “Paul Dano has been cast in So Yong Kim’s indie drama “For Ellen,” due to begin filming February in Upstate New York.”
We couldn’t find any more information about the movie, and as any upstate NYer knows, “upstate” to the rest of the world usually means Westchester County, but the prospect of another big movie filming in our neck of the woods is still pretty exciting. Of course we’ll keep you posted as more information about the movie becomes available.
Dano, who is best known for his role in Little Miss Sunshine, just wrapped Knight and Day with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz which is due in theaters next year.
Today, Drew Barryomore’s directorial debut, Whip It, opens in theaters nationwide. The movie is about a young women (Ellen Page) who finds her passion in a roller derby club.
Whip It was filmed entirely on location at various locations around Michigan including Ken’s Diner in Birch Run. The now vacant restaurant fills in as the “Oink Joint”, a Texas BBQ where Ellen Page’s character works in the movie. Here’s where Yorkville’s strange connection to Whip It comes into play. According to MLive.com, the diner first opened in Yorkville in 1955 and was moved to Birch Run in 1992, where it became Ken’s Diner!
Who knew a small diner in Yorkville would someday serve as the backdrop for a major movie? Goes to show, anything’s possible!
In 2007, the AMC Film Critic compiled a list of the Ten Best Upstate New York Movies. The list includes Buffalo 66, Ironweed and X-Men. I have a feeling that the revised list will include the upcoming Angelina Jolie movie Salt and Ang Lee’s Taking Woodstock.
A Rome native will be appearing at the Tribeca Film Festival this month in his latest project, a “mockumentary” called Midget vs. Mascots. According to the Observer Dispatch, Mark Hapka, 26, has already appeared in several TV shows including Hannah Montana, The Ghost Whisperer, and Cold Case. Hapka co-stars with Gary Coleman in M v. M which is described as a cross between Jackass and the Real World/Road Rules Challenge.
The Education of Charlie Banks, a coming of age tale that spans from the playgrounds of lower Manhattan to the idyllic greens of a fictional liberal arts college in upstate New York, is open this week in limited release. The movie is set during the eighties and is a story about “change, inevitability, and ultimately, about facing one’s fears.”
Even though the movie is set in upstate New York, it was filmed at various locations throughout Rhode Island. It sounds like Hamilton College or Colgate University would have been perfect locations for the film. Maybe its time upstate New Yorkers starting marketing themselves to location scouts. Especially since movies can be a great economic boost to an area.
Mickey Rouke may not have received an Oscar Sunday night but Utica did get a shout out in The Wrestler. In one scene, where ”The Ram” decides he is not going to continue wrestling due to his failing heath, he calls a promoter and tell him he won’t be able to attend any upcoming matches, including one in Utica. Granted, Rouke’s character doesn’t specify he’s talking about Utica, NY but given upstate NY’s connection to wrestling, not to mention that Mickey was once an upstate NYer, we’re going to assume he was talking about this Utica!
