BUFFALO, N.Y. — Press pause on Hollywood and get the slate ready for New York. The Empire State is known for Broadway, but don't discount the film and television industry. On Friday, Buffalo is back on the big screen.
Did you know New York is number two in the nation for production jobs, wages and number of productions? Empire State Development has some other stats on the film and television industry, too. Such as more than 65,000 jobs are supported each year through the state's film and tax credits. That equates to $13 billion in wages.
The state has a number of tax credit programs which certainly makes it desirable to work here. But think about the wide-ranging scenic places to film. That helps, too.
Putting Buffalo back up as the main character now, "A Quiet Place 2," "The First Purge," "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2," Guillermo del Toro’s "Nightmare Alley" and "Marshall" are just a few of the notable films shot in Buffalo.
On Friday, the movie "Cabrini" debuts. The film, starring Cristiana Dell'Anna, is a true story about an Italian Immigrant named Francesca Cabrini and her fight for the health of orphaned children in New York City.
The movie's producer, Jonathan Sanger, was in Buffalo before to help in the production of the movie "Marshall." He talked about why Buffalo and upstate New York are so special, even when they're up against Italy and Montreal.
"You have a nice lifestyle, you don't have rush hour," Sanger said. "There are so many other things we found to be so easy. Even in the worst time of the day, we were quicker in getting to one location and another than we could ever imagine. [In] New York City, you cannot make a move in a day if you are shooting in one place, even if it is just three blocks away. The amount of time to move a unit from one place to another is just impossible. Here you can do it. I think it is tremendously advantageous and that is why I want to work more in other parts of the state."
Sanger also says the quality of life is a huge plus, too. He says people are starting to notice and the number of crews based outside New York City has grown significantly, which helps.
Sanger says 85-90% of Cabrini was shot in Buffalo, Niagara Falls and other parts of Western New York. It's already shaping up to be a big year of filming, with several films already making final plans to set up shop.