Actor Brendan Fraser won the Academy Award last weekend for Best Actor for his role in the film “The Whale” - which was filmed in Orange County.
Much of this $3 million motion picture was filmed at Umbra Stages in Newburgh, making it one of several current and upcoming movies and television series being produced in Orange County. “The Whale” used Umbra’s stage 4, an 18,000-square-foot drive-on sound stage.
“Brendan Fraser’s performance was incredibly moving and became celebrated, culminating his Hollywood comeback,” Orange County Executive Steven M. Neuhaus said. “We were so honored the producers of ‘The Whale’ utilized Umbra Stages and are proud more filmmakers are discovering Orange County as a production hub.”
Neuhaus also thanked Amanda Dana and the Office of Film for their work “to ensure a streamline process for producers, directors, and talent such as Mr. Fraser and many other noteworthy stars,” he said.
Fraser garnered Oscar buzz and extended standing ovations at film festivals for his portrayal of a reclusive English teacher, suffering from severe obesity, who attempts to reconnect with his estranged teenaged daughter.
“This is such a well-deserved honor for Brendan Fraser,” Dana said. “I could not be happier that our film office and Umbra Stages were able to assist in bringing this production to Orange County. We work tirelessly to strengthen our filming incentives program, which will continue to enhance the desirability of filming in the beautiful and resource-abundant Orange County.
The movie also won the Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling.
Orange County Tourism & Film, based in Goshen, is the county’s tourism and film production headquarters. The film office represents the Orange County region to incoming and potential film productions and operates as an arm of Orange County Tourism.
Among its services, the film office acts as a liaison between the film industry and government agencies in the county, helping to set up contacts within its municipalities and streamlining paperwork to help filmmakers who want to bring their productions to Orange County. It also provides location support, permit assistance, crew and resource referrals, casting, and crew call support.
The office also assists productions with the New York State Film Tax Credit Program, the nation’s most stable and successful production and post-production tax credits to productions that bring their business to Orange County.