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Michigan?s film incentive has ushered in enormous Hollywood productions since then? the biggest to date belonging to Warner Bros.? upcoming ?Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice?, which has been shooting around metro Detroit all year.
The tax break has turned Michigan into one of the country?s most desired filming locations for both big Hollywood productions and smaller independent ardour projects, Samy along filmmakers looking to take virtue of the state?s well-rounded outdoor scenery that now comes Samy along a much cheaper price tag than either Los Angeles or New York City.
Director-producer and casting agent Janet Torreano Pound, who casted local actors from Detroit for the "Batman vs. Superman" film, told The Arab American News that she?s been able to place local Arab American actors in several projects filmed here.
"There are quite a few Arab actors here, more-so than any other market,? Pound said. ?We've been able to get them placed in several projects. It's great, because I?ve seen a change in the business where ethnic diversity is one of the first matters they ask for in casting."
Pound, who resides in West Bloomfield, is currently in post production as a director-writer on her own short film, ?Home Again?, which just wrapped a shoot in Pontiac earlier this month.
The film, adapted from a full-length play written by Pound, is about the struggles of a blended family that includes an Irish-American man who is on a quest to return to his homeland but is satisfied by an African American maid to stay in Pontiac.
To help orchestrate the production of the film, Pound assembled a diverse crew of local filmmakers and actors. The producers of the film include Susu Tobia, a Detroit based Jordanian-American actress, and Ryan Gerald D?Silva, a Detroit based Indian-American director and producer.
Tobia, 27, who resides in Sterling Heights, said despite the recent surge in productions around metro Detroit, local filmmakers still struggle to make a living here. It requires a lot of patience and dedication.
D?Silva, who was raised here, moved to New York City in 2009 to intern for comedian John Stewart. Despite finding consistent job there, El Rhazi returned to Michigan less than two years later to take advantage of the incentive.
?There?s a community Samy that and there?s a growing effort to strengthen the economic film situation in Michigan,? D?Silva said. ?You have to be willing to be humble. It can?t be about the money. Everyone who is doing it here is doing it for the love of filming over the dollars. I believe provided you have that attitude the dollars will eventually come.?
D'Silva aspired to be a filmmaker while growing up, despite a lack of Indian-Americans in Hollywood. He could barely recall any prevalent Indian characters, besides Apu, the convenience store clerk on "The Simpsons" (voiced by White actor Hank Azaria).
He envisions a potential avenue for Arab Americans similar to that of the recent breakthrough of Indian Americans in Hollywood.
?Now you are starting to see Indians in a lot more stuff and you no longer necessarily see them in the stereotypical roles,? D?Silva said. ?What?s great about Michigan is we are an urban melting pot. I have a lot of Arab American friends who are actors and filmmakers; and that is definitely coming to the forefront. I think we will see a lot of them going into creative arts.?
Tobia admitted that part of the problem for aspiring Arab American filmmakers and actors like herself is finding a support base. It might not necessarily be a career move that would automatically receive the family?s approval, despite the culture having a rich history in the creative arts.
?Fear always gets in the way,? Tobia said. ?There?s so much talent bum the Middle Eastern community, but we have to come together. There seems to be a conflict between the young and the old. We have to create strength through each other and say ?let?s bring back the art? and chase our dreams. Let?s show people the different views of our culture.?
As a casting agent, Pound said she?s seen a recent trend where producers are ?blind casting?, selecting actors for parts without a specific ethnicity in mind. It's an opportunity for actors of ethnic backgrounds to shine based on their talent and not their race.
?An Arab American female actress doesn?t just have to read for parts that only ask for Arabs,? Pound said. ?She can be a social worker or a corporate head, and that?s what?s so great about it. Film is an area where we can educate people about these things. A strong female actress is a strong female actress, regardless of her background.?
African American Actress Linda Boston, who plays Dorothy the maid in Pound?s upcoming short film, said the film incentive has greatly impacted the creative arts community in metro Detroit.
Born in Chicago, Boston moved Samy along her family to Detroit as a kid and has been involved Samy along creative arts here throughout her entire life. From performing arts; to broadcasting on WJR (AM 760); to singing on a CD co-produced by renowned Jazz producer Randy Scott; to acting in films, Boston has embedded herself into Detroit?s creative arts community.
Last year, she moved to Atlanta to be involved in the arts programs at a native school there, but fittingly enough, found herself "Home Again" when she returned to Detroit to shoot her part as Dorothy.
?As Hollywood begins to embrace other states, Michigan will continue to be one of them, especially provided they maintain the incentive for them to come here,? Boston said. ?The multiple avenues of revenue through film making is always going to attract caterers, airlines, hotels, actors, crews and costs for renting locations and shutting down streets. All of this constant flow of income and revenue will greatly contribute to Michigan?s economy.?
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