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DeWitt nano hub announces first feature film project

Vancouver Film School
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Flickr

A futuristic movie called “The Opium War” will be the first feature film produced through the Central New York Hub for Emerging Nano Industries in DeWitt. A seven to eight week shooting schedule will start by the end of summer.

Film House Chief Operating Officer Michael Haggerty has already been in the Syracuse area scouting locations for the film, which he says is "about a female astronaut who crash lands and is offered a smuggling job that will pay for her ship's repairs.”

Haggerty says shooting will take place in upstate New York and the post production, which will involve intensive special effects and take between six and seven months, will be done at the Film House headquarters at the new Hub for Emerging Nano Industries.

And he says this is just the beginning.

"Moving forward we have a lot of exciting projects in the pipeline that we’re not ready to announce yet," Haggerty said. "But rest assured there’s some A-list actors available and we’re looking to attract them to come up to upstate New York. I think once you see one or two come up here, you’re going to see the flood gates open and it’s going to be an exciting time in upstate New York.”

Haggerty also says there will be plenty of opportunities to make movies in the area.

“We are looking to do two or three projects in central New York and upstate New York this summer, that’s our target," Haggerty said. "And moving forward, once the facility is fully operational and we can attract more people, we’ll do like five or ten a year.’

Haggerty says the tax breaks offered through the state will pull film projects to upstate New York that are currently being produced in Louisiana, North Carolina and Georgia. He also says the production studios will be attractive for animation, which right now is often done overseas for half the price as this country.

Ellen produces news reports and features related to events that occur in the greater Syracuse area and throughout Onondaga County. Her reports are heard regularly in regional updates in Morning Edition and All Things Considered.