"Mineville" movie green-lighted

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May 5, 2008

By LOHR McKINSTRY The Press Republican Mon May 05, 2008, 12:00 AM EDT

MINEVILLE -- Producer-writer Lori Kelly Bailey says her search to finance "Mineville" was a success, and she's about to embark on a 10-week location shoot with a $20 million budget.

Dublin-born Jason Barry, who acted with Leonardo di Caprio in "Titanic," is set to direct Bailey's script.

"This is truly a new ball game," she said. "This will be exciting. It has been a long road."

Bailey has been trying since 2000 to find funding for the story she wrote about Irish immigrant workers who mined the iron ore in Moriah's Mineville hamlet around 1910. A preview video was shot in 2001 to try to attract investors.

She was in Moriah recently scouting locations for the film, with shooting scheduled to start Sept. 22.

Bailey said they're using the old mines as sets and hope to shoot in the old Essex County Jail in Elizabethtown.

Unfortunately, Essex County is preparing to tear down the jail where they want to film, Moriah Town Supervisor Thomas Scozzafava said.

"I think we should reconsider tearing that jail down. This is a prime example of what an asset that jail can be."

The 1870s jail could be used for tours and could become a museum, he said.

Some of the characters in "Mineville" are incarcerated in the Essex County Jail at one point. The story follows two men from opposite ends of society trying to break free of their upbringing. They follow a union organizer, who takes control of their town and ultimately their destinies.

Barry and his wife, Nicola Charles Barry, are making the film through their production company, Marathon Pictures LA.

"Jason and I are really excited about the film," Mrs. Barry said in a statement. "It's a great script and a story that hasn't been told before. We are in talks with some A-list stars to play lead roles and hope to get some Irish talent on board. We will be shooting in the Adirondack mountains, which will make for some beautiful scenic shots."

The film has already signed up actors Giovanni Ribisi ("My Name is Earl"), William Sadler ("The Shawshank Redemption"), Anthony Lapaglia ("Without a Trace") and British actors Ian Hart ("Finding Neverland") and Tony Curran ("Underworld: Evolution").The executive producer on "Mineville" is Nigel Odell of Arclight Films. The director of photography is Jason Lehel, who did "Conspiracy of Silence."

The project is financed through a combination of private-sector funding, the New York State Film Board and I Love N.Y. Program tax breaks.Bailey, who lives downstate, said the idea for the movie came to her while visiting relatives in Mineville. Scozzafava said he's cooperating with the movie company and thinks this will be great for the town.

"I'm excited about the movie production. I think it's a great story. It speaks to the immigrants who came to this country to work in the mines."

Scozzafava said his family has long been involved with the town's mining history.

"My grandfather came over when he was 14 and worked in the mines. He worked for Witherbee-Sherman. He helped bring a lot of Italians into Moriah many years ago."

lmckinstry@pressrepublican.com