‘American Dresser,’ filmed at CNY film hub, comes out Sept. 21

By Ashley M. Casey

Staff Writer

A few months after Onondaga County gave new life to the CNY film hub, the first project filmed at the newly dubbed “Greater Syracuse Soundstage” will be released this week.

“American Dresser,” director/actor Carmine Cangialosi’s motorcycle road trip flick, opens to limited theater release and on demand Sept. 21. The movie held premieres in Santa Monica, California, and at the MOST in Syracuse Sept. 15. “American Dresser” also was shown Sept. 17 at the Manlius Art Cinema.

“I’m just really excited to get this film shown to the people that I think really helped make this happen,” Cangialosi told Eagle Newspapers.

Cangialosi, who hails from Long Island, said he is a longtime Syracuse University basketball fan.

“I’m looking to shoot more stuff up here,” he said.

Filming on “American Dresser” took place in 2015 and 2016. Moviegoers may recognize the State Fairgrounds, The Gem Diner, Limp Lizard and other CNY haunts in the film.

Actor Jeff Fahey said he is from Buffalo and this is the first chance he’s had to work so close to his hometown.

“In the 35 years I’ve been in the business, this is the first time I’ve gotten to work up here,” he said. “It was a joy.”

The film also stars Tom Berenger, who is known for his roles in “Platoon” and “The Big Chill.” Berenger said he fell in love with Central New York, the Finger Lakes and Skaneateles’ annual Dickens Christmas.

“I actually recommended it to a couple of friends,” he said. “Do you know about this little town in Onondaga?”

Keith David, who plays Charlie, said he was reminded of what Central New York has to offer when he returned for the premiere at the MOST.

“It’s exciting to be back here,” he said. “I didn’t realize until being back here how much stuff you have here.”

David said his daughter is looking at colleges, and SU could be on her list.

Cangialosi and his co-stars said Central New York’s various landscapes could double for the Midwest, Europe or any number of settings in between.

“We shot across America in Syracuse,” Berenger said. “It’s a great place to shoot westerns here.”

“I went up to Lake Placid,” Cangialosi said. “That looked like Switzerland to me.”

Over the last three decades, the “American Dresser” team said, filmmakers have ventured out of Hollywood and New York City to cities such as Austin, New Orleans and Montreal. Syracuse could be the next moviemaking destination.

Of course, a 40 percent tax credit doesn’t hurt. That’s what Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2014 promised producers who bring their projects to the film hub.

“It certainly was something attractive. All you have to do is get the word out here,” Cangialosi said. “[New York City] has become almost prohibitive, there’s so much production there.”

Cuomo announced in 2014 that the state was funding a $15 million facility to bring “Hollywood to Onondaga.” But the hub nearly flopped when only a trickle of filmmakers expressed interest in developing their projects there, and key players in the hub — former SUNY Polytechnic president Alain Kaloyeros and COR Development executives Steven Aiello and Joseph Gerardi — were convicted of rigging the bid process for state contract projects.

Despite the snags, about a dozen movies have been filmed at the hub in DeWitt, which Onondaga County purchased from the state earlier this year for $1.

Now dubbed the “Greater Syracuse Soundstage,” the hub is seeing the fruits of its filmmakers’ labor. In addition to “American Dresser,” two other movies have been given release dates.

Actor and producer Ron Perlman has filmed three movies at the hub. The most recent, “Asher,” has been picked up by Momentum Pictures for a Dec. 7 release.

Another film hub project — “Sushi Tushi, or How Sumo Wrestlers Butted into American Pro Football” — will premiere Oct. 19 at the Palace Theatre in Eastwood.

The Greater Syracuse Soundstage is not the only Hollywood hub in the area. Filmmaker Jeremy Garelick and his production company, American High, have been cranking out movies at the former A.V. Zogg Middle School building in Liverpool, which he purchased in 2017. Garelick and his crew have already filmed three movies this year and began work on a fourth, “Big Time Adolescence,” which stars “Saturday Night Live” actor Pete Davidson.

County Executive Joanie Mahoney said now that films from the Greater Syracuse Soundstage are reaching theaters, more educational and career opportunities will materialize in Central New York.

“People in Central New York need work and this production created a lot of work for local people,” she said. “They learned on this film and they’ll get work on the next film.”

Mahoney said the soundstage is a boon to local film students, who used to have to leave Syracuse to develop their careers.

“It’s really great to have this kind of thing happening in the community for students of film who have never had the opportunity to stay in this area and work on a film,” she said.

“It brings some real legitimacy to films up here,” Cangialosi said, adding that even television producers could avail themselves of the tax credit and the soundstage. “I think we have a good starting point now. It’s an easy sell.”