Geneva An Appealing Place for Filmmakers

If the nine letter HOLLYWOOD sign represents a place where magic is possible and dreams can come true, Geneva’s six letters may represent the same message in a more quaint way especially for filmmakers.

Geneva has always been a destination spot for shopping, dining and festivals. Interestingly, it seems that it is also a desired location for filmmaking. In 1974 the Geneva Motel was used in the Oscar winning, Harry & Tonto and again used in the 2001 movie, Novocaine. Then in 2002, The Road to Perdition was filmed downtown at the Hotel Geneva allowing many Genevans to be part of the excitement and watch the filming on State Street.

Today, Geneva continues to draw interest from filmmakers. Recently Director Jonathan Cohon brought his cast and crew to the courthouse steps to film a scene for “Debt of the Heart” starring Joe Farina. The premise “Geneva … also a desired location for filmmaking.”

of “Debt of the Heart” is that Joe returns to the small town of his childhood to find that the ghosts of his past have been replaced by the cries of his present. It is great that they used our own courthouse for one of the scenes.

Coming this spring, Geneva can look forward to its first starring role in the movie Bad Batch. It is being filmed right here in Geneva!

Geneva resident and Location Manager of Bad Batch Vic Portincaso said, “Frank Merle, along with co-producers Chad Meyer and Matthew Gill, have set their sights on the many wonderfully varied locales offered around Geneva while scouting potential places to set up
production on their forthcoming horror/comedy Bad Batch.” The movie will be about a small town overrun by drug-induced zombies.

When asked why filmmakers are looking to Geneva to film, Portincaso told me that the Geneva Film Festival has increased interest in filming in Geneva.

“The key to getting filmmakers to film in your area is for them to have knowledge of the area and photographs of the backdrops available. Another key is for them to understand what will be required for them to film in the area. Most of the filmmakers that get their work accepted by the festival will attend the festival. Film professionals such as producers and distributors will be attracted to the festival by the quality of films being shown. By being here for the film festival, they can see first hand what is available. This allows Geneva to be at the front of their thoughts when they are looking for locations.”

Do we have more films in our future? According to Events Coordinator Susie Sperber of the Geneva Film Festival, “The festival has been expanded to four days to accommodate a larger number of film screenings and workshops. This will draw more independent filmmakers to the area for a longer period of time. The beauty and charm of Geneva will do the rest.”

It always does!

This article first appeared in the November 2009 issue of eGeneva Magazine.