Achievements

In the last few years, we have experienced an exciting upward trend. In 1992, the impact of the film industry in Philadelphia was estimated to be approximately $22 million, whereas in 1991 it was only $2.1 million, representing an increase of ten times. In 1993, that figure grew to $28 million. Economic impact from film and TV production that we have attracted to the region since 1992 is approaching two billion dollars. Feature films, like the Academy Award winning “The Age of Innocence” and “Philadelphia“, as well as the Bruce Willis starrer “12 Monkeys“, Al Pacino in “Two Bits,” the Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert Redford romance, “Up Close and Personal”, and “Beloved“, starring Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover, increased our visibility and reputation in the industry. 1998 releases included “Wide Awake“ for Miramax, Turner Pictures’ “Fallen“.

Feature films with principal photography in 1998 included, among others, “Kimberly“, written and directed by Frederic Golchan, starring Gabrielle Anwar, “The Sterling Chase,” directed by Tanya Fenmore and, Touchstone Pictures’ “The Sixth Sense“ written and directed by Philadelphian M. Night Shyamalan and starring Bruce Willis.

Early 1999 brought production of the highly acclaimed “Jesus’ Son,” starring Billy Crudup and “The Doghouse,” a low budget independent directed by Steven Kane, a former area resident, to the Philadelphia area. “Diary of a City Priest“, starring David Morse and written and directed by Philadelphian Eugene Martin (”Two Plus One“, “Edge City” ) was shot in the summer months and “Animal Factory“, a gritty prison drama directed by Steve Buscemi and starring Willem Dafoe and Edward Furlong, was shot in several prisons in the Philadelphia area in the summer and fall. “Prison Song,” a musical written and directed by Darnell Martin (“Oz” ) and starring Q-Tip and Elvis Costello, was shot in the fall.

Also in 1999, we hosted the world premiere of Touchstone’s international blockbuster, “The Sixth Sense“ . The phenomenal success of this film has catapulted Philadelphia’s film community to its own superstardom. The film garnered six Academy Award nominations and and shortly after carried the distinction of being the 13th highest grossing film in history achieving a world-wide box office total of $672,800,000!

The year 2000 saw the production of M. Night Shyamalan’s “Unbreakable“, starring Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, and Robin Wright Penn. Three independent films, “Bottomfeeders“, “A Gentleman’s Game,” and “Snipes“, all directed by emerging Philadelphia filmmakers, also completed principal photography. Economic impact to the Philadelphia region from film, video, and television production in 2000 was nearly $50 million.

2001 brought more exciting projects to our area, including the independent films “Emmett’s Mark“ starring Scott Wolf, Gabriel Byrne, and Tim Roth and “The Good Thief,” directed by Philadelphian R.T. Herwig. Hometown favorite M. Night Shyamalan directed another feature here in 2001, “Signs“, starring Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix. “Signs“ has earned more than $425 million. The Steven Bochco television series “Philly” starring Philadelphia native Kim Delaney, also shot here in 2001.

In 2002, the Film Office was proud to host the filming of Kevin Smith’s “Jersey Girl“, starring Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, as well as George Carlin, Liv Tyler and Jason Biggs. The independent film “The 24th Day,” directed by Nick Stagliano, featured Scott Speedman and James Marsden. Also, the CBS television series “Hack,” starring Philadelphia resident David Morse and Andre Braugher, filmed its first full season entirely in Philadelphia. It was the first television series to be shot entirely on location in Philadelphia.

In 2003, in addition to “Hack“ filming all year, another network series, Jerry Bruckheimer’s “Cold Case“, which stars Temple University graduate Kathryn Morris, was the undisputed hit of the season. Several weeks of principal photography were shot in Philadelphia. Lee Daniels, another native Philadelphian and producer of 2001’s surprise hit “Monster’s Ball,” which earned the Best Actress Oscar for Halle Berry, returned to his hometown to produce “The Woodsman“. The film stars Kevin Bacon and Eve, both also Philadelphians, and Kyra Sedgwick, Benjamin Bratt, Mos Def, and David Alan Grier, and was co-written and directed by another Philadelphian, Nicole Kassell. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 19, 2004 and opened nationally on January 21, 2005. Another Philadelphia filmmaker, Eugene Martin, returned to shoot “The Other America” with a young ensemble cast during the summer of 2003, and the film was selected as the opening night film at Slamdance in Park City on January 17, 2004, marking the festival’s tenth anniversary. “National Treasure“, starring Nicolas Cage and directed by Jon Turteltaub, was released on November 19, 2004 and was number one at the box office for several weeks. The film’s Philadelphia and Washington D.C. locations fueled a large joint tourism marketing campaign. And M. Night Shyamalan returned with “The Village“, another thriller shot entirely in the Greater Philadelphia region starring Joaquin Phoenix, Bryce Howard, William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver, Adrien Brody, and Judy Greer. “The Village“, released in July of 2004, was hugely successful, grossing close to $125 million in its opening week.

In 2004, “Hack“ was back in Philadelphia wrapping its second season of filming. Philadelphia also played host to a Sci-Fi channel special, “The Buried Secret of M. Night Shyamalan,” which came out immediately before the release of “The Village“. The documentary was marketed as an unauthorized bio of the reclusive filmmaker. 2004 also saw a new slate of films arrive in town. Twentieth Century Fox’s project, “In Her Shoes“, starring Toni Collette, Cameron Diaz and Shirley Maclaine, directed by Curtis Hanson and based on the book written by long-time Philadelphia resident Jennifer Weiner, was filmed in Philadelphia in early 2004. Lee Daniels returned to Philadelphia in 2004 for his directorial debut with “Shadowboxer“ starring Cuba Gooding, Jr., Helen Mirren, Stephen Dorff and Macy Gray. Also in 2004, MTV’s “The Real World,” one of the most popular and longest running reality shows, shot season fifteen in Philadelphia’s Old City. Philadelphia scored a major primetime success, as our young and vibrant nightlife has never looked better. Philadelphia was also the backdrop for “White Men Can’t Rap,” “Youth of a Nation,” and “Invisible Mountains.”

2005 has been a banner year for Philadelphia in ways we never imagined. Two important publications heralded Philadelphia’s rise in status. The New York Times called us the “Sixth Borough” and National Geographic Traveler named us as “The next great American City.” Credit must be given to the explosion in attention we are getting from films and TV shows, particularly by young people from shows such as “The Real World.” Curtis Hanson’s “In Her Shoes“ had it’s official world premier at the Toronto Film Festival, but premiered in Philadelphia a few days earlier to an adoring audience. Lee Daniels’ “Shadowboxer“ also premiered in Toronto in September. “Cold Case” continued to set the standard for TV shows, and continued to film in Philadelphia. A new comedy show by Philadelphian Rob McIlhenny called “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia“ was a surprise hit on the FX Channel, and was renewed for season two. Disney’s gridiron film “Invincible“, based on the true story of Vince Papale’s career with the Philadelphia Eagles, shot in Philadelphia this summer and starred Mark Wahlberg. Night Shyamalan was back with “Lady in the Water“ for Warner Brothers. The film stars Bryce Dallas Howard and Paul Giamatti. Philadelphia producer Max Raab premiered his documentary, “Rittenhouse Square,” directed by Robert Downey, Sr. Independent films that shot in 2005 included “Champions“, “Ungodly“, “Book of Caleb,” “Consequences“, “Head Space“, and “Never Say Goodbye,” the first Bollywood production to come to Philadelphia. The new television series for tweens, “The Block,” created by Philadelphian Sri Rao began production; and the newest version of “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke,” shot on a Philadelphia rooftop featuring Philadelphia’s own G Love.

2006 started strong with MGM’s “Rocky Balboa“ back for one more round. The film, written and directed by Sylvester Stallone, has Rocky coming out of retirement to go in the ring once again. On December 18, 2006, Philadelphia rolled out the red carpet and proudly hosted the east coast premiere of “Rocky Balboa“ Mark Wahlberg returned to Philadelphia with Paramount Pictures film “Shooter“. Kindred Media Group produced the horror film “Tooth and Nail“ this year and the film “My Dog Tulip“ had its original music and animation done in Philadelphia. The wildly popular CBS TV show “Cold Case“, continued to shoot in our area, as did the second season of FX’s new hit “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia“. Local filmmaker Sri Rao’s new TV show for tweens, “What Goes On“ (AKA “The Block”) continued shooting in 2006. We’ve had a busy year for independent films, such as the directorial debut of Curtis Nicholls “God’s Prayer“, A Chip and A Chair Films “If You Could Say it in Words“, and Robert Gaston’s “2 Minutes Later“.

In early 2007, actor/director Bill Duke arrived in Philadelphia to shoot his film “Cover” starring Vivica A. Fox and Louis Gossett Jr. In the spring, Quaker Media shot “Our Lady of Victory” a film starring Carla Gugino, David Boreanaz and Ellen Burstyn about Immaculata College’s women’s basketball team winning the national championship. Local filmmaker Nick Briscoe/Belvedere Entertainment shot an independent film “Close Quarters”. The CBS TV show “Cold Case” returned for season 5 and Banyan Productions’ “Trading Spaces” filmed its 7th season. Nancy Glass Productions/HGTV filmed season 5 of “Save My Bath” and “Spice Up My Kitchen” in our region. FX’s irreverent comedy “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” retuned to Philadelphia to shoot their third season. 2007 also marked the return of M. Night Shyamalan, whose new film “The Happening” starring Mark Wahlberg and Zooey Deschanel shot in Philadelphia, Bucks, Montgomery and Chester counties. In September, Philadelphia native Mark Webber began production on “Explicit Ills” which he wrote, produced and directed, starring Paul Dano and Tariq Trotter. Beginning in October 2007, we had another dynamic duo of films shooting in our area. First, was an independent film called “Bottleworld” shot entirely in Bristol Township, Bucks County. Next, Peter Jackson (“The Lord of the Rings” and “King Kong”) came to the suburbs of Philadelphia to film DreamWorks’ “The Lovely Bones” starring Mark Wahlberg and Rachel Weisz. In November, Lionsgate arrived in Philadephia to shoot a TV pilot called Hindsight (The Verdict).