Independent Weekly. The Carolinas.

"North Carolina has always been a good chameleon when it comes to movie locations, although that's not the main reason Leatherheads [starring and directed by George Clooney] is being made here," writes Fiona Morgan, opening a package in the Independent Weekly on the boom in local production. "Universal Pictures is capitalizing on a new economic incentive, passed by the General Assembly last summer, designed to lure feature film production back to North Carolina. The film is also taking advantage of South Carolina's even more generous incentives.... And other stars are already in or on their way to North Carolina: Ben Stiller and Jason Schwartzman for a comedy called The Marc Pease Experience; Anthony Mackie and executive producer Wynton Marsalis for Bolden, a biopic about New Orleans jazz legend Buddy Bolden; and Richard Gere and Diane Lane for a drama called Nights in Rodanthe."

Also, a talk with Dale Pollock, a producer, film prof at North Carolina School of the Arts and member of the NC Film Council: "I want to really cultivate where I think things are going: these low-budget independents. There's been this revolution with the equipment that people can make movies with, and I think North Carolina's at the forefront of that."

And another with Dan Brawley, director of the "über-independent" Cucalorus Film Festival, and another with Leatherheads screenwriter Duncan Brantley.

Reviews: Zack Smith on God Grew Tired of Us, Reign Over Me and The Host.

Posted by dwhudson at March 22, 2007 2:41 AM