Top actors, actresses, producers, writers and a model descended on Killington to film last week
By DJ Dave Hoffenberg
You might have seen some filming around Killington the past two weeks and that was for a yet to be named dark comedy based in Killington that will be out in 2022. Local resident and comedic actor Matt Vita brought this project to life. He created the story, assembled the dream team, and will be starring opposite America’s Next Top Model Winner Sophie Sumner, in a cast including Tony Award-winning producers David Lambert and Shawn Arani, New York actresses Sam Morales and Sarah Faye Beard, comic geniuses Brianna Cala, Nikki MacCallum, Christopher Griggs, and film actor Haulston Mann. The movie was directed by Mark Dudzinski and Frank Perz, assistant-directed by Collen Doyle, written by Grace Day, and cast by Tessa Faye Talent. It’s being produced by Gnar Bois, which is made up of longtime friends Mark Dudzinski and Matt Vita.
Pictured (l-r) Co-Director Mark Dudzinski, Co-Star America’s Next Top Model Winner Sophie Sumner and Co-star Matt Vita.
“Mark is such an indispensable person to both this project and my life. I can’t sing enough good praises about all the good things Mark has done for this project and for me as a friend and business partner,” said Matt Vita.
This is their first movie together but Mark Dudzinski has been a prolific producer in the television and documentary world for 15-20 years. Vita said, “We have big plans for the future. It’s a beautiful project for many reasons but partially because it’s a launch out point for so many good people. I think all of our cast will be celebrities in the next five years.”
The movie is about a group of women from New York City who win a dream getaway with their yoga guru, Callie, to Killington, Vermont. It’s a bachelorette party weekend and once they get up there, things get a little bit hilarious and creepy.
Vita said, “We filmed for nine days in Killington, mostly at my private residence. We did a couple of off-site shots and then filmed for two days in New York City. We also shot with a drone controlled by a licensed pilot so I think we obeyed all the rules and regulations from the state. I made sure all my neighbors were aware. It was a cool process but to shoot a feature film in 11 days, anyone in the industry will tell you you’re insane. We did it with a super awesome punk-rock skeleton crew. We did the unthinkable with a highly motivated crew. What that means is we were working 20 hour days and firing on all cylinders.”
Vita’s added bonus was meeting some of his neighbors and becoming friends.
The crew was raving about all the craft services which came from local restaurants. Kyle Hickory — “aka Hickory the drunk and underwhelming,” who I mentioned in a pasts article on the Woolen Mill — cooked for them. I knew he’s an amazing comedic magician but Vita and others learned he’s an amazing chef, too.
Vita said, “Everyone was phenomenal but Kyle was one of the standouts. I told him, Wow, you’re such a multi-talented dude.”
Andy Reid, who owns and runs Ramunto’s Brick and Brew of Bridgewater, also took nice care of them. Vita added, “Andy is awesome. I love that dude and his food is amazing.”
Vita hopes to get the town’s businesses more involved for future projects and said, “The more I can get the town involved and stoked about it is just real cool to me.”
The crew will be back out there filming in August, to wrap up some shots on Killington Road. If there’s any businesses out there that want to be featured in the movie, reach out to Matt Vita on his website (mattvita.com).
Vita said he has wanted to make a movie since he was 5 years old. He said,”I’ve flirted with it and skirted around doing it my whole life. I think a lot of us were feeling introspective this past year being locked up. If I’m not going to live my dreams now, when am I going to do it?”
Vita said the idea for the film came to him during a restless night’s sleep. He wrote a page or two on it and then reached out to Grace Day and asked her to write it.
Vita said, “She’s a prolific, amazing writer and I’ve acted in a few of her projects over the pandemic. Grace basically took the ball out of my hands and hit it out of the park. She put the meat on the bone, so to speak and really made the story come to life.”
Luckily the pandemic didn’t pose a problem since they filmed as restrictions were lifting and everyone was vaccinated.
Dave DeCeglie is writing the score for the movie now. He’s an AVN Award winning composer for Hamilton.
After the movie is complete, Vita wants to hit the festival circuit. He said, “I got my eyes on a few that I would love to premiere at. I got faith that we will. It would be a Nirvana home run if it were to be streamed on one of the big streaming platforms and also if there were a limited theatrical release. That would be so cool. I would love for people to be able to see it in a theater. We were doing a footage review and I’m confident. It’s looking so good. The more I see it come together, the more realistically hopeful I am that it gets there. You never count your chickens before they’re hatched but the eggs are looking good, baby.”
