CAZENOVIA — Cazenovia native Siobhan Fallon Hogan will present a local sneak peek of her latest film, “Shelter in Solitude,” at the Manlius Cinema in advance of its official release nationwide.
The movie, which was filmed partly in Cazenovia, will premiere in Manlius on Sept. 6 and 7 and will be shown again on Sept. 8 and 9.
Fallon Hogan, who is the film’s writer, producer, and star, will be at both premieres to introduce her work and talk to the audience following the screenings. Other members of the cast will also be in attendance.
The Sept. 6 premiere will feature a formal red carpet and a step-and-repeat banner for photography. The second premiere will be much more casual with a step and repeat but no red carpet.
As of Aug. 10, tickets were sold out for the 7 p.m. screenings on Sept. 6 and 7, but tickets were still available for the 5 p.m. showings on those days. Tickets were also available for the Sept. 8 and 9 showings.
“We couldn’t do a full run due to contractual agreements, so we hope to be back after [the country-wide release],” said Fallon Hogan.
“Shelter in Solitude” will officially premiere on Sept. 26 at the Belcourt Theatre in Nashville, Tennessee, and it will open across the country on Sept. 29.
Directed by Vibeke Muasya, the film also stars Peter Macon (“The Orville”), Robert Patrick (“Terminator 2: Judgment Day”), and Dan Castellaneta (“The Simpsons”).
Described by Fallon Hogan as “an American, faith-filled, country western, prison love story told during COVID times,” “Shelter in Solitude” follows a death row prisoner, played by Macon, with 10 days left to live and his unconventional relationship with a wannabe country singer, played by Fallon Hogan.
According to its official website, the film is a social commentary on the inhumane conditions of the American prison system.
The movie description poses the question, “If one determined, uneducated woman can bring humanity to the system, why can’t the US government?”
“My father was an attorney and would tell us stories about his clients who were in prison, and I would think about them and wonder what they were doing all day in there,” said Fallon Hogan. “Then, when we filmed at the old defunct prison in downtown Syracuse. . . I got a [look at] the prison, and I could not believe the tight quarters and the horrible way they live — so sad.”
Fallon Hogan was born in Syracuse and raised in Cazenovia. She graduated from Le Moyne College in 1983 and earned a master of fine arts degree from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.
She has acted in several blockbusters, including “Forrest Gump,” “Men in Black,” “Holes,” “New in Town,” “Going in Style,” “Charlotte’s Web,” and “Funny Games.” Her television credits include “Saturday Night Live,” “Seinfeld,” “Billions,” “What We Do in the Shadows,” “American Gods,” “Wayward Pines,” “30 Rock,” and “Law & Order.”
She will soon be seen in the Sundance hit “Eileen” directed by William Oldroyd and starring Anne Hathaway.
“Shelter in Solitude” is the second film to be produced under Fallon Hogan’s production company, Emerald Caz Productions, which she established with her husband, Peter Hogan, and their son, Peter Munson Hogan, in 2019.
Emerald Caz Productions’ first feature film, “Rushed,” was released in 2021. Filmed partly in Central New York, the revenge thriller tells the story of Barbara O’Brien, an Upstate NY Irish Catholic mother whose life is turned upside down when her son Jimmy, a freshman in college, is in a fraternity hazing incident.
Several key members of the “Rushed” cast and production team returned for the second Emerald Caz Productions film, including Muasya, Patrick, producers Erin Fraser and Patrick Clifton, cinematographer Matthias Schubert, editor Sabine Emiliani, and production design department member Lisa Luckett.
Jay Hunter of Rochester was the B-camera on both films, and Kyle Ward contributed music on “Rushed” and was the composer for “Shelter in Solitude.”
Fallon Hogan’s husband and two of their children were also heavily involved in both films.
Hogan was a producer on the films and their daughter Sinead Hogan played Jessie in “Rushed” and a hippie in the new film. She also served as the production designer on both films.
Munson Hogan played Vinny in the first Emerald Caz Productions film and the supporting role of Chris, a cop, in the latest film. He also coordinated all the music in “Rushed” and served as co-producer and music supervisor on “Shelter in Solitude.” In 2020, he started his own independent production/record company, Legendary GOAT Productions, which will be releasing the official soundtrack album for the new film.
Fallon Hogan said having so many people return to help bring her second film to fruition was “amazing.”
“They are all extremely talented, and we all work together like a well-oiled machine,” she said.
The “Shelter in Solitude” cast includes Andrea Autry, wife of Syracuse University Men’s Basketball Coach Adrian Autry, and Cazenovia residents Max Schaffner and Siobhan Kiernan.
Cazenovia artist Jennifer Hooley also joined Emerald Caz Productions on the new movie as its scenic designer.
For Hooley, working on the film was “a blast.”
“To think I was part of it and my name will be in the credits is pretty cool,” she said. “What an opportunity.”
Hooley was on set every day of filming, helping to decorate the sets, creating certain looks that Fallon Hogan had envisioned, making signs, and placing props.
She helped transform a local restaurant into “Val’s,” created the “Warden’s office,” and placed all of Macon’s personal items used during filming in his character’s jail cell.
Hooley said witnessing Fallon Hogan in action was beyond anything she could have ever imagined.
“The energy, commitment, enthusiasm, and ‘all hands on deck’ approach to making a movie is incomprehensible until you see it,” she said. “To be part of what Siobhan did and created, right here where we live, was an experience of a lifetime. . . To be within five to ten feet of Siobhan during her scenes and witness her ‘drop’ into her role at a moment’s notice was incredible. Her character was mesmerizing. Siobhan is fun, funny, creative, and professional. She is so thoughtful, knows everyone, and knows how to make people feel special.”
“Shelter in Solitude” was shot in 2021 in Syracuse, Jamesville, Cazenovia, Erieville, Perryville, and Peterboro.
“In October 2021, trucks filled with all sorts of movie, camera, and sound equipment and tons of movie professionals from all over descended upon Cazenovia,” said Hooley. “They were here for three weeks and then poof, gone. What they did here was fast, furious, and simply amazing.”
Local filming locations include Bylund Hill Stables and Lane Road in Cazenovia, the Blue Canoe Grill in Erieville, the main road through the Hamlet of Peterboro, and multiple private homes in Cazenovia and Perryville.
Fallon Hogan described filming in and around her hometown as a dream come true.
“Most of the extras were my friends from the Class of ’79 or friends from town,” she said. “Catering was at Dave’s Diner [and] the Blue Canoe, and our opening and closing parties were at the Brae Loch. Amazing friends [provided housing], Jack Stevens let us use his vintage truck, and Pam and Dave Lane let us use their 1968 Mustang, which we then drove in the Fourth of July parade. I love Cazenovia and the people of Madison County and Syracuse, so I was in heaven filming here. People were beyond generous and kind.”
“Shelter in Solitude” was an official selection of the SModcastle Film Festival, the San Francisco International New Concept Film Festival, Craic Fest 2023, the Los Angeles International Screenplay Awards, and the 2023 Boston International Film Festival, where it won best cinematography and best actress awards.
To learn more about the film, visit shelterinsolitude.com/emerald-caz-productions or follow @siobhanfallonhogan or @shelterinsolitude on Instagram.
Tickets to the local screenings of “Shelter in Solitude” can be purchased on eventbrite.com by searching “Manlius” and then “Shelter in Solitude.”
