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Editorial

Let’s go to the movies

Posted 9/14/21

As reported in the Democrat last week, Monticello will be making an appearance in a new HBO miniseries.

   “The White House Plumbers” examines the Watergate scandal that …

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Editorial

Let’s go to the movies

Posted

As reported in the Democrat last week, Monticello will be making an appearance in a new HBO miniseries.

   “The White House Plumbers” examines the Watergate scandal that rocked the Nixon administration in the early 1970s and HBO Location Manager Stephen Grivno landed on using the 100-year-old former Sullivan County jail in the center of the Village of Monticello to film a number of scenes.

Some 200 cast and crew members were based out of the Village of Monticello on Thursday for a three-day shoot, bringing with them money to patronize restaurants and shops along Broadway. The village even made a few thousand dollars off of parking fees for the production crew and their dozens of trailers, vans and RVs.

It was encouraging to see all that positive activity in a village which has struggled as of late with violence and crime. Projects like this associate our county seat with something good that will be enjoyed by millions of people across the country.

It’s not the first time that large film or television productions have been attracted to Sullivan County. Writer and director Emrhys Cooper shot his film, “The Shuroo Process,” at various locations in Sullivan County back in 2019, including one scene of the movie that was filmed at the White Sulphur Inn.

A 2014 Comedy-drama film named “Hits” was written and directed by Arrested Development star David Cross. The movie was shot in Liberty, where Cross has a second home and it premiered later at the Callicoon Theater.

These are just a few examples of how Sullivan County has become an increasingly attractive backdrop for creative projects across many genres and platforms. Other independent filmmakers have based their projects in our area. The New York State Film Tax Credit Program has benefited the region by allowing companies to claim tax incentives for both production and post-production costs. This makes it easier and more cost-effective to bring projects locally.

All levels of government in Sullivan County, from the legislature to our towns and villages, would benefit from attracting more projects of this nature to our area. Events such as the Big Eddy Film Festival, The Catskills International Film Festival and others already demonstrate the immense reserves of talent and artistic passion that already exist right here in our own backyards.

We look forward to seeing Sullivan County on the big screen more often.

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