feature story / 33 of Soul, a 2021 Hulu documentary about the historic-yet-forgotten 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival. Analyzing the festival’s cultural significance and why it’s been lost to time within counterculture memory compared to Woodstock, the movie received widespread acclaim and won an Os car for Best Documentary Feature. The screening was made possible in part by society board member Alison Dinerstein, whose husband David produced Summer of Soul and joined the event as a post-screening guest. Progress has been made on pre serving the downtown theater. On January 6, the Loffredo family signed a lease with James Kula of Box Office Cinemas to renovate the theater within a six- to 12-month timeframe, with Matusik attending the ribbon-cutting ceremony. (She and Cohen also participated as in terview subjects for a middle school documentary about the Maplewood Theater’s legacy.) Loffredo says the theater is currently being cleared out but remains a work in progress. “It’s going to take time. [Kula’s] in the process of getting permits and construction and architects. It’s a long process, but it’s going to be beautiful,” Loffredo says. That love of cinema also played a role in Matusik’s newest business venture, one that shines an investi gative light on the film production resurgence happening in New Jersey. The idea for SOCKO! Magazine came to Matusik last year while read ing about Netflix buying part of Fort Monmouth for $55 million, aiming to transform the U.S. Army base into a massive East Coast production complex. Netflix broke ground on the studio in May, with the intended goal of convert ing this land into backlots, soundstages and office space by 2028. Historically, U.S. cinema began in New Jersey, with Thomas Edison construct ing the first film studio, the Black Maria, at his West Orange laboratory. The ear liest film serials were shot in Fort Lee, including The Per ils of Pauline featuring silent actress Pearl White whose success coined the term “cliffhanger.” Yet it was Edison’s belligerent enforcement of camera patents that caused other filmmakers to flee west, where they settled in Hollywood and turned it into the new center of the American film industry. During the past century, New Jersey has been used as a setting for plenty of iconic stories, from On the Waterfront to Clerks and The Sopra nos. Some movies, such as South Or ange native Zack Braff’s Garden State and A Good Person, as well as Netf lix’s Happy Gilmore 2, were partially filmed in the SOMA area. But only in recent years has the state’s involve ment in film and television produc tion grown exponentially. In 2018, former governor Phil Murphy rein stated 30-35 percent tax credits on qualifying film productions, incen tivizing more studios to set up shop in the Garden State and support lo cal workers. This credit program has since been extended to 2049. The process, so far, has paid divi dends. A combination of tax credits, close proximity to New York City and initiatives like the Film Ready New Jersey Program have endeared many studios to the benefits New Jersey offers, with notable movies shot in-state including Disclosure Day, The Housemaid, A Complete Unknown, and I Play Rocky. Along side Netflix’s studio plans, Lionsgate is setting up Great Point Studios in Newark, while Paramount is spon soring 1888 Studios in Bayonne. This marks a new chapter for the state’s role within the entertainment industry, opening doors for a lot more film talent who see New Jersey Angela Matusik has always been drawn to the world of cinema. Photo by Chad Hunt.
View this content as a flipbook by clicking here.