The New Jersey Motion Picture & Television Commission won its first outstanding film commission award on Aug. 23 at the 12th Annual Location Managers Guild International Awards held in Santa Monica, Calif. The commission was honored for its involvement with the Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown” that was released by Searchlight Pictures.
The New Jersey Motion Picture & Television Commission was one of six nominees for the top award. The commission had been nominated in the past but had not won the award.
“A Complete Unknown” also won for outstanding locations in a period feature film.
“A Complete Unknown,” starring Timothée Chalamet as Dylan, was filmed almost entirely in New Jersey. The movie was also nominated for eight Academy Awards, including best picture, best actor, and best director. The film traces the early career of America’s legendary singer-songwriter.
“A Complete Unknown” was filmed in 17 municipalities across New Jersey, with scenes filmed in Hoboken, Jersey City, Paterson, and Cape May. In the film, New Jersey doubles as New York City, Pittsburgh, Rhode Island, Washington, D.C., and Northern California.
Buildings such as the Ritz Theatre in Elizabeth doubled as Carnegie Hall and the Newark Symphony Hall was used as a San Francisco concert venue. Other filming locations of note include Paterson City Hall, White Mana Diner in Jersey City, William J. Brennan Courthouse in Jersey City, Columbus Park in Hoboken, Rutt’s Hut in Clifton, and the former Essex County Isolation Hospital in Belleville. All of the stage work for the film was done at Palisade Stages in Kearny.
The awards ceremony and reception took place at the Eli & Edythe Broad Stage in Santa Monica before an audience of 400, including LMGI members, industry executives, and media. Actress and producer Rachael Harris (“Suits,” “Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” “The Hangover”) hosted the evening.
The LMGI Awards spotlight international features, television, and commercials in which the creative use of filming locations sets the tone, enriches character, and enhances storytelling.
