Thanks to another new initiative, filmmakers across New York City are getting an opportunity to ask lots of questions and gripe about their filming headaches. Espinal and Deputy Commissioner of the Film Office Kwame Amoaku will lead each FREE session.<\/p>\n
Queens stop: Queens World Film Festival First Amendment Film and Arts Festival \u2013 \u201cMade in NY\u201d Filmmaker Listening Tour: Friday, Nov. 13, 2:30 to 4 p.m. at the Museum of the Moving Image<\/a>, 36-01 35th Ave., Astoria<\/a> (RSVP HERE<\/a>).<\/p>\n Espinal\u2019s leadership centers on supporting creative workers, creating pathways into media and cultural careers and reinforcing NYC as the place to create.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want to hear about how we can support YOU \u2013 our local talent. This is your chance to shape how the city supports you and your fellow independent filmmakers by sharing direct feedback on production incentives, permitting, city resources and more,\u201d Espinal said in a statement. \u201cOur office has launched the first-ever \u2018Made in NY\u2019 Filmmaker Listening Tour to hear directly from filmmakers about the barriers they face and what they need from City government to be successful. It\u2019s all part of our plan to make NYC the most frictionless place in the world to film.\u201d<\/p>\n Filmmakers, students and working crews can weigh in about their challenges and personal experiences \u2013 \u201cthe good, the bad and \u201cthe ugly\u201d \u2013 while filming on NYC\u2019s streets, and get helpful and valuable information, as well as updates on MOME services.<\/p>\n Ask anyone trying to make a film in Gotham, and they\u2019ll likely tell you it can be a real pain in the butt. Some challenges they may face: When shooting in New York, you can\u2019t shut down streets or find parking for your crew. It\u2019s complicated.<\/p>\n There are many hurdles to overcome in this crazy but amazing city.\n<\/p>\n While \u201cDaredevil,\u201d \u201cThe Punisher,\u201d \u201cSpider-Man 2\u201d and \u201cSpider-Man 3\u201d all filmed in NYC, unfortunately, \u201cSpider-Man: Brand New Day\u201d \u2014 which was released over the summer \u2014 wasn\u2019t. Instead, it was shot in Glasgow, Scotland. Apparently, there was a permit issue.<\/p>\n But Espinal seems optimistic and quite confident that NYC is in the middle of the biggest film comeback in years. He\u2019s focused on strengthening and expanding the city\u2019s creative economy, revitalizing film and television production in our city and ensuring that the folks who power the industries can afford to live and work here.<\/p>\n Despite encountering some misconceptions, he insists that NY is making it easier to film here.\n<\/p>\n @madein_ny<\/a> <\/p>\n Dear Spider-Man, Please come home. All the best, The NYC Mayor\u2019s Office of Media and Entertainment spiderman nyc newyorkcity tomholland\n<\/p>\n \u266c original sound \u2013 NYC Media & Entertainment \ud83c\udfa5<\/a> <\/p>\n Actually, back in the day, filming in New York wasn\u2019t always as easy as it is today. In the 1960s, producers often required over 50 permits to shoot in the city, and gaining access to some of New York\u2019s hottest locations was tricky, at best. And producers were required to obtain a permit for every single day of production.<\/p>\n Astoria filmmaker Erik Potempa shot his award-winning comedy short \u201cGeezers\u201d in Astoria Park. Starring Dan Lauria and Cedric Cannon, it explored the bond between two outspoken Vietnam veterans navigating life in a gentrifying neighborhood.<\/p>\n Offering his take on MOME\u2019s new initiative, he told QNS: \u201cThis sounds really great. Interested to see what comes out of it. Ultimately, I think budget is the biggest obstacle to making movies. Yes, technology is better than ever and more available than ever, and we, as indie filmmakers, put a lot of our focus on making more with less, but making movies is still expensive.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think we lose a lot of talented filmmakers, who simply can\u2019t afford to continue making films if their first one or two don\u2019t get into a big festival or go viral on the internet. It would be great if the mayor could include lower budget films in this new initiative. I think it would undoubtedly lead to a more diverse and creative talent pool and allow the actual cream more opportunity to rise to the top.\u201d<\/p>\n Potempa added: \u201cObviously, tax incentives are very helpful. However, they usually require a minimum of at least a $1 million budget. This is great for studios and established production companies, and those working for them. But pretty much all short films, short-form content and low-budget features are excluded. These are typically new director\/writer\/producer(s) spending their savings or borrowing money or running up a credit card bill (and going into debt) to make a film that will at best serve as a calling card to help them break into the business.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s my two cents. Excited to see what happens!\u201d\n<\/p>\n The determined filmmaker told QNS that he\u2019s still plugging away with \u201cGeezers\u201d \u2013 sending it out and meeting with production companies. And he\u2019s planning on signing up for the Filmmaker Listening Tour, however, he may be shooting another project that week, so it depends on the timing.<\/p>\n A multi-talented creative from Queens, who found greener pastures in LA, Barry Rothbart\u2019s work spans documentary filmmaking, television, acting and writing. Most recently, he produced, co-wrote and shot the 2026 SXSW Film and TV Festival Jury Award winner, \u201cSummer 2000: The X-Cetra Story\u201d (Directed by Ayden Mayeri). This unique doc will be premiering in NYC on Nov. 15 (6:45 p.m.) at Village East by Angelika (Angelika Theatre), 181-189 2nd Ave., in Manhattan. Afterwards, a Q&A featuring the director and producers. DOC NYC<\/a> (film website) Tickets: Paid; available via DOC NYC and SeeItEarly<\/a>.<\/p>\n The film blends archival camcorder footage, personal diaries and candid interviews, offering both a musical chronicle and a heartfelt reflection on friendship, creativity and growing up.\n<\/p>\n Weighing in about the Filmmaker Listening Tour, Rothbart told QNS: \u201cThis is such a great initiative by Mamdani. Honestly, I just haven\u2019t had enough experience on the producing side, setting up \u2018official\u2019 shoots in NYC. I\u2019ve acted in many things. And the things I\u2019ve filmed as director\/producer have been more documentary or shooting for major companies.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cThe one thing I will say is that parking is a huge issue in NYC, especially with smaller film\/content productions. It makes it nearly impossible to bring out equipment vans, production cars, etc. And usually, I get many tickets. If there can be parking help for smaller productions \u2013 maybe giving them special permits, that would be incredibly helpful. In Los Angeles, there\u2019s no parking issues at all.\u201d<\/p>\n Things are really looking up, according to a recent Variety piece: \u201cSets and the City: Why New York\u2019s Film and TV Business Is Booming.\u201d New York Film and TV Tax Incentive Drives Production Boom \u2013 Variety<\/a>. Ethan Shanfeld writes: \u201cNow, the city\u2019s soundstages are reaching capacity and productions are flooding the streets of the Big Apple, from \u2018The Gilded Age\u2019 to \u2018American Horror Story\u2019 to the upcoming \u2018Exorcist\u2019 movie. The budget enhancements convinced \u201cThe Devil Wears Prada 2<\/a>\u201d to remain in New York, which supported more than 1,400 local cast and crew members and engaged 550 local vendors. According to Empire State Development, New York\u2019s economic development agency, the 46-day shoot generated $67.9 million in total economic activity and $45.8 million in local wages.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter six years of unsteadiness, the state\u2019s film and television business is booming: Production spending rose 57% year-over-year in the second quarter of 2026, to nearly $1.06 billion, with 19% more projects shooting,\u201d said Adam Gordon, a real estate developer who \u2014 with Robert De Niro and his son Raphael De Niro \u2014 co-founded Wildflower Studios<\/a>, a sleek compound in Astoria with modular soundstages and sweeping views of the Manhattan skyline. \u201cThe tax incentives are oxygen. You can\u2019t live without them.\u201d<\/p>\n Owners of Steiner, Silvercup and Wildflower Studios \u2014 three of the biggest soundstage and production facilities in NYC \u2014 told IndieWire<\/a> back in June that in 2026, they were back to full or near-full capacity, after a sustained rough patch.<\/p>\n And in an interview with IndieWire, Espinal framed his job around representation: \u201cOver the years, there hasn\u2019t been strong enough representation within government to support the needs of the industry in order to bring in more production to the city and continue employing the workforce that depended on those jobs,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n He added: \u201cWe\u2019ve covered the basics of shooting in New York City<\/a> before, but rules and fees can shift. If you have questions or concerns as a New York filmmaker, this is a good opportunity to show up and ask in person.\u201d<\/p>\n The remaining tour stops:\n<\/p>\n \u00a0The Bronx<\/a>: Oct. 28, 5:30 to 7 p.m., Lehman College, 2790 Goulden Ave.![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-41.jpg\")
<\/a>Photo courtesy of the NYC Mayor\u2019s Office of Media and Entertainment \u2013 \u201cMade in NY\u201d Filmmaker Listening Tour<\/p>\n
\n\u00a0Staten Island<\/a>: Nov. 10, 5 to 6:30 p.m., Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, 2636 Hylan Blvd.
\n\u00a0Queens<\/a>: Nov. 13, 2:30 to 4 p.m., Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35th Ave.<\/p>\n