A new movie shot in Syracuse is set to make its world premiere in Germany next month.
“Manodrome,” starring Academy Award nominee Jesse Eisenberg, Oscar winner Adrien Brody and buzzy actress Odessa Young, will debut at the Berlin International Film Festival, which runs Feb. 16-26, 2023. A photo released by the festival shows Eisenberg (”The Social Network”) with uncharacteristic red hair and a puffy winter coat next to Young (”Assassination Nation,” “The Stand”) with blue hair.
Written and directed by South African filmmaker John Tengrove, “Manodrome” film was largely shot in Syracuse last winter. A casting call at the time referred to it as an “Untitled Rust Belt” movie, set around Christmas time, following a troubled factory worker with a pregnant girlfriend and a “dangerous obsession with an immigrant bodybuilder at his local gym.”
The official synopsis for “Manodrome” now describes the movie as:
“Conflicted about his girlfriend’s pregnancy, Ralphie’s life spirals out of control when he meets a mysterious family of men.”
The film is one of 18 titles in the International Competition and one of the most anticipated events during the Berlin film festival. The fest will also feature Sean Penn’s documentary about the war in Ukraine, “Superpower.”
“Manodrome” is produced by Riley Keough and Gina Gammell’s Felix Culpa. Gerry Pass, who was part of the local Lou Ferrigno horror movie, “The Hermit,” that shut down last summer, is also listed as a co-producer.
It’s at least the third production Brody has been a part of in Central New York, along with the recent thriller “Clean” and the documentary “Stone Barn Castle.” He bought the 19th century Stone Barn Castle, located 30 miles west of Utica in Vienna, N.Y., more than a decade ago and chronicled the project in 2015.
According to IMDb, “Manodrome” also stars Ethan Suplee (”My Name is Earl”), Evan Jonigkeit (”X-Men: Days of Future Past”), Brian Anthony Wilson (”The Wire”), Sallieu Sesay (”Seal Team”) and former NBA star Gheorghe Muresan (”My Giant”). Jonigkeit previously appeared in “The Night House” with Rebecca Hall, which also filmed in the Syracuse area.
Other new movies shot in Syracuse coming soon include “Mabel” (starring Judy Greer), “Vindictive” (from local filmmaker Tyrone “Tizak” Jackson) and four titles from American High (“Empire Waist” starring Rainn Wilson; “Sid Is Dead” starring Joey Bragg and Mary Stuart Masterson; “Miguel Wants to Fight”; and an untitled Kevin James film). Cazenovia native Siobhan Fallon Hogan’s new movie “Shelter in Solitude,” shot in the Syracuse area last year, also recently premiered at Kevin Smith’s inaugural SModCastle Film Festival in New Jersey and will be released this year.
Note: This story has been updated to remove a production company that was incorrectly listed.
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