Madawaska Valley residents will soon see themselves on the big screen.
Matthew Campanile, writer and director of “The Manhattan Project,” says the movie is almost completed. He says he’s very excited to show Madawaska Valley the final product.
He says many parts of the movie were shot in the Valley with the final scene being shot at The Arlington in Maynooth.
Campanile says it was important to shoot the movie in the region because he’s been coming to the area for years and when he was writing the script, he had always imagined it here. “I’ve always wanted to make a film that expresses how I felt when I came here,” he says.
He talked about the peace, tranquillity, trees and the lakes as being some of the main characteristics that attracted him and his team. He says the Municipality and the residents have been nothing but supportive when it comes to the project.
Many locals have participated in the project too. He says they made a call to local artists with many of them having important roles on and off screen.
He says the movie, which will last 90 minutes in length, will be completed by April. Campanile and the team will then tour with the movie in film festivals around the world before bringing it here by the fall. That will include a stop in Bancroft.
Campanile adds that they’re looking for local musicians to contribute to the movie’s soundtrack. He says that every time he used to come to the Valley, he listened to Moose FM and that in many of the movie’s scenes, there’s a radio playing in the background. He mentions that anything rock, folk, bluegrass or country music could fit the film’s “mood”. To volunteer your music for the movie, you’re being asked to send Campanile an email ([email protected]) for more details.
Written by: Devon Jolander