In the last week I’ve received two emails from people in the film industry looking to make a move back to Buffalo. Those emails came in fresh on the heals of the Goo Goo Dolls announcement that they’re ready to call Buffalo home again.
Then today I saw an email come through announcing that Jerry MacKay from Littleflick Pictures is about to release a film series shot in Buffalo called Release The Funny that will be showing at film festivals around the country. Then there was the BRO announcement that Full Circle Studios is making a play for a bigger film video production studio on Main Street.
Buffalo film producer Steve Powell has been itching to work on locally generated content. Luanne diBernardo is just now releasing her ten webisodes. Peter McGennis’s latest film has been post-produced and a rough cut has been sent to Sundance. Red Scream’s creations and a number of other horror films have been shot at the Central Terminal. Damien Failla’s been creeping around with his Haunted Films project. Ani DiFranco just recorded her live two-night show at Babeville.
A number of film festivals have been gaining speed, music venues and studios have been gaining exposure, the one million dollar plus feature film, Nicholas of Myra, is 75% completed – Chris Santucci tells me that the three hour movie will premier in Buffalo next Christmas. The reality dating programs have infiltrated the city, and a number of urban exploration documentaries have been produced.
Luanne diBernardo told me that she moved here in 2000, “… previously I was in Florida,” she said. “It was impossible to find a location that looked like anything other than Florida. Then Mark Caragiulo, director and actor friend of mine who I was working with, came to Buffalo and couldn’t believe the different sets available. Just traveling from the East Side to the West Side, we could come up with twelve different diversities… just remove the cars and you’ve got set after set. I can’t believe that there are not more films being shot here.”
There’s major potential to incubate two industries that we are already seeing sparks from. It doesn’t really look like there’s a cohesive network to tie it all together though. Of course there is the Buffalo Niagara Film Commission, but there needs to be something even larger that teams-up film with music to showcase Buffalo in a light that not many ever see when they experience our city.
Bill Zimmermann
Bill runs Seven Seas Sailing school, and is a staunch waterfront activist. He is also heavily involved with preserving, maintaining, and promoting the South Buffalo Lighthouse. When Bill first started writing for Buffalo Rising, he wrote an article a day for 365 days - each article coincided with a significant historic event that happened in Buffalo on that same day.