Elmwood Park, A Movie being Filmed in and around Norristown

Elmwood Park, A Movie being Filmed in and around Norristown

by Brian Coll

The past few weeks I have seen various posts on Facebook about a movie production coming soon to Norristown. I reached out to the writer/director of Elmwood Park and thought maybe we could chat about the upcoming project. We touched base on casting, genre of the movie and more including if extras are needed and how you can help out with crowdfunding to bring the production to life.

I’m talking with Gregory Falatek, writer/director of Elmwood Park: 

Hey, I saw the Elmwood Park movie project on Facebook awhile back, then I hadn’t heard about it in a bit and then it came back into my view recently. I was thrilled to see a movie being produced in Norristown. What made you want to film a movie in Norristown?

I grew up on Brown Street in Norristown before moving to Plymouth Meeting, and it feels surreal to bring this film back to my hometown. I love living here and want to keep making films here for the rest of my life. My favorite parts of America are the weird, eccentric pockets of the country with unique locations and even more unique people, and a lot of that is going away in place of luxury apartment complexes and overpriced townhomes. I knew Norristown was a town where we could still afford to buy a home and hopefully capture some elements of this place before it changes forever. 

After living in Los Angeles for about 10 years and seeing a lot of the same locations in films, I kept writing screenplays that were based on the East Coast, or in some Anytown, USA, like Elmwood Park. I don’t know if it was me subconsciously wanting to move back here or if I was just tired of seeing location managers reuse spots that had been used in iconic films over and over again. 

So you grew up in the area? Where are you living now and what has changed since you moved away?

I bought my first home in 2022 in Norristown, right by the State Hospital and Von C. I think I moved to California around 2011-2012 so pretty much everything is different everywhere around here now. I am hoping to capture the few remaining pockets of a forgotten time period in American history before the area is inevitably taken over by new construction.

What can you tell us about the movie without giving anything away?

I want people to know as little as possible and go into the theater and experience it as it is meant to be experienced. But I can tell you the logline of the film is: “Three high school boys embark on a strange, psychedelic journey through the underworld of a run-down American town.” The film will be a psychological thriller with many elements of drama and comedy, much like life itself. 

From what I’ve seen, it is a little dark?

It’s definitely dark, but it’s not a horror movie or anything. I find life to be both dark and beautiful, and I don’t really enjoy or believe films that don’t showcase the many human emotions that we experience, no matter what the “genre” of the film may be. 

Writing is one of the only ways I know how to process how crazy the world is and I believe writing darker material allows me to get those fears and anxieties out of my head and into a fictional world. Ironically, working on what would be considered a dark film has been one of the happiest times of my life.

I really loved listening to David Lynch talk about this when he is alive. Most artists, myself included, really take themselves to hell and back and buy into this idea of the tortured artists. David Lynch had a great quote that went something like, “The artist does not have to suffer to show suffering.” 

I find a lot of modern films to not show the full-scope of people in our country and I wanted this incredible ensemble cast to show various sides of people, their occupations, their families, and how all of that exists within our community. 

It’s dark and funny and dramatic. Life is not one dimensional and I want to make films that showcase a wide spectrum of human emotions through very complex characters. 

So, this fictional movie that is being called Elmwood Park, isn’t about the loveable zoo we all know. Has there been any pushback? Is the zoo okay with it being filmed there?

Stan Huskey, the owner of the Centre Theater in Norristown and board member of Elmwood Park Zoo, reached out and was very excited. He suggested doing some type of fundraising event if possible, which we are putting together now. I want a chance to meet everyone and answer any questions about the film, WeFunder, production dates, extras, the innovative way we are raising funds, literally anything. We are looking forward to that. 

A few other employees and members of the board reached out from the Zoo so they seemed very excited. The film is not about the zoo, Elmwood Park is simply a fictional town in an original cinematic universe that I am building and we are filming in our neighborhood. There are a lot of different towns named Elmwood Park within America so I think that will be pretty cool when we roll out the film to a larger audience.

Do you need actors or extras?

We’ve been working on the film for about a year already, so a lot of the roles have been cast, but we will probably still need more extras for the scenes within the Elmwood Park world. If you are local to Norristown or Montgomery County and would like to submit to be considered as a background actor please send your headshot to codi@stony-creek-studios.com

Do you need crowdfunding? Any special perks if you do?

Yes. We are currently in our Friends & Family fundraising round on WeFunder, which allows anyone to invest as low as $100, alongside professional accredited investors. After we reach our Friends & Family goal of 50k, we will go public on WeFunder’s platform of 500,000 investors. 

You can invest here: https://wefunder.com/elmwoodpark

All of the perks for each level of investment are available on our WeFunder page. We’d love for anyone in the area to join our ever-expanding team! 

I noticed a few notable actors involved in this project. What can you tell us about the folks already casted?

We have been lucky to cast an amazing group of actors for this film, including some notable actors, up-and-coming industry talent, and locals in the community. Norristown Locals such as Peggy Wilson, Jimmy Gorecki, and Jetta Reynolds will be in the film, as well as other Pennsylvania locals, Dave Moyer, Morris Freeman, and other local residents as background talent. 

As for the more notable actors, Michael Abbot Jr (Killers of the Flower Moon), Nell Williams (Game of Thrones), Keith W. Richards (Uncut Gems), H. Foley (Tires), Conner Marx (New Amsterdam), and Keith Poulson (The Sweet East) will be joining us on set in the fall. We have also cast several young actors, many of whom have trained at prestigious NYC acting schools, such as Tyler Diamond (Christmas Eve in Millers Point), Matilda Fleming (Christmas Eve in Millers Point), Isabelle Charlot (Eephus), and Sheridan James (Times With God).

What else can you tell us about the movie, the production schedule and so on?

Provided there are no schedule changes with major actors, we plan to enter production in Fall 2025 in Norristown, Pennsylvania. We will be filming all over Montgomery County, with local actors, some local crew, patronizing local businesses, and paying Pennsylvania taxes. The state of Pennsylvania has a 25% Film Tax Credit to help filmmakers recoup a portion of the budget upon completion.

Additionally, we were just approved for fiscal sponsorship through From the Heart Productions, a 501(c)(3) non-profit that has helped fund films since 1993. They are classified as a public charity, so any monetary donations to our film, through their fiscal sponsorship program, qualify as charitable contributions under the U.S. Tax Code and can be used for a tax deduction. 

We have some local business sponsorship packages available, as well as corporate sponsorship options, for both the film and the film festival, theatrical, and event release. You can contact me directly at gregory@stony-creek-studios.com to discuss. If any businesses can donate a significant amount of food or supplies, we would love to give you a special thanks credit and put your logo at the end of the film. Making an independent film is a miracle, and anything helps, even just sharing our fundraising link: https://wefunder.com/elmwoodpark

This was all fantastic, I wish you and the cast and crew the best of luck. Hopefully anyone not local to the area falls in love with it here. I want to say thank you to you Gregory, for seeing a bit of the world and wanting to come back here and showcase this area off.

Thanks, Brian. It was great talking to you. 

Maybe I’ll see you filming in the area or at the premiere!