Awards season officially kicked off this week with the announcement of nominees for both Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild, SAG, awards. Once again, Westchester County was well-represented, seeing seven award nominations in top categories going to productions
that filmed right here in Westchester.
“These nominations highlight our diverse locations and film-friendly climate,” County Executive George Latimer. “The recognition signals the quality of production that’s taking place in Westchester, and represents just a small slice of the success we have had with the film and television industry. Going forward, we’re eager to work with location scouts and managers, producers, directors and designers to help plan successful and safe productions.”
Among the celebrated shows is the HBO Max comedy, “The Flight Attendant,” which features actress Kaley Cuoco as the flight attendant whose life unravels after she wakes up in a hotel room next to a dead man, with no memory of what happened. Cuoco and the ensemble
cast received Golden Globe and SAG nominations for acting. The show was also nominated in the Golden Globe category, “Best Series, Musical or Comedy.” Several scenes were filmed in Westchester, including the Motel 6 in Elmsford, The Galleria in White Plains, and at a private residence on Buckout Road in West Harrison.
This year’s nominees also include the Amazon drama, “Hunters,” starring the legendary Al Pacino, which follows a band of Nazi hunters in 1977 New York City. Pacino earned a Golden Globe nomination for “Best Actor in a TV drama” for his starring role in the show. The production filmed at Untermeyer Gardens in Yonkers and in the village of Ossining, which stood in for Paraguay for the opening scene in the fifth episode.
Ramy Youssef, who stars in the self-titled Hulu comedy, “Ramy,” earned best acting nods from both the Hollywood Foreign Press (Golden Globes) and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). Now in its second season, the show most recently filmed at the Westchester County Correctional Facility.
“Westchester County is attractive to the industry because of our diversity of locations, which offer ample space to spread out and socially distance on set,” said Natasha Caputo, Westchester County director of Tourism & Film. “We can stand in for any backdrop required, from smalltown scenes and rural landscapes to urban and industrial settings, historic mansions, hospitable hotels, and film-friendly airport and
correctional facility.”
Notably, several nominees with ties to Westchester received both Golden Globe and SAG nominations, among them Scarsdale native Aaron Sorkin, who received nods for his motion picture, “Trial of the Chicago 7,” and Jason Bateman, born in Rye, who was nominated for
“Best Actor in a television series, drama,” for his work in “Ozark.”
“It’s not only a joy to see Westchester’s landscapes featured in award-winning productions, it’s also good to know that the activity brings economic benefit,” Latimer said. “The nominations represent just a small slice of the success we have had with the film and television industry, which generated $45 million in economic impact in 2019. Film is an important economic driver in Westchester and it will be important to our recovery in 2021.”
The 78th annual Golden Globe Awards will air live on Feb. 28 starting at 8 p.m. on NBC; this year’s SAG Awards will air live Sunday, April 4 at 9 p.m. simulcast on TNT and TBS.
(Submitted)
