They’re young, intelligent, creative, driven and not willing to give up easily. They’re a crew of filmmakers, actors, musicians, artists, and technical workers. They’re from Bayonne and the surrounding area and are looking to make it big in the movies – together.
They are led by local filmmaker Sam Platizky of Bayonne, whose production company Narrow Bridge Films, is the catalyst for their cinematic pursuits.
There’s no shortage of Bayonneites in his world of moviemaking. The group includes Max Arias Jr., William Dautrick Jr., Sean Feuer, Dan Gregory, Jenna Kildosher, Tony Pineiro, and Isaac Platizky, Sam’s brother.
From neighboring Jersey City are Amy DeGise, Joey Mosca, and John Trigonis. Loarina Gonzalez of West New York, Dan Granda and Mitchell Vargas of North Bergen, and Megan Bussiere of Edison also lend a hand.
“We are pretty much all Bayonne natives and friends making movies together,” Platizky said.
Kildosher, who also happens to be Miss New Jersey International, has acted in the majority of Narrow Bridge Films projects. Isaac Platizky is a writer and actor who has been a part of every Narrow Bridge production. John Trigonis has acted in both of Narrow Bridge’s feature films, and Dan Granda was a composer for three projects.
“I feel extraordinarily lucky and privileged to be able to work with such incredibly talented and amazing artists,” Sam Platizky said.
Platizky may be the quintessential locally educated guy in the group. He graduated from Woodrow Wilson grammar school in Bayonne and Bayonne High School, and received his English and theater degree from New Jersey City University in Jersey City.
In 2010, Platizky and Narrow Bridge made their first feature film, “Blaming George Romero,” a “zombie apocalypse” movie, which premiered at the Frank’s Theatre in Bayonne and went on to the Bergenfield and Golden Door festivals. Its second film was “Red Scare,” billed as a “zombie comedy set during World War II.”
The vast majority of its projects have been filmed in Bayonne, from 1st to 56th streets and in nearly every park.
Narrow Bridge was honored with the Gold Kahuna Award at the 2012 Honolulu Film Awards for its production of “Red Scare.” The film also won the Silver Ace Award at the 2012 Las Vegas Film Festival and an honorable mention at the Mock Film Festival in Los Angeles.
This summer Narrow Bridge will shoot “Summer Cabin,” in New Hampshire. But production members are really psyched for what will happen next year.
The next big thing
“I have worked on several films and a web series. I am proud of each and every one of them, but for my next project I am trying to go even bigger and better,” Platizky said.
He hopes it will catapult the group into a new level of moviemaking. “Yellow Scare,” a “big” comedy set during World War II with several musical numbers, is scheduled to begin shooting in spring 2016.
Last week, Platizky started a fundraising campaign for the production on Indiegogo. To help, visit http://igg.me/at/yellowscare.
“There are a wide range of perks, from copies of the movie, to exclusive merchandise, to experiences on set that people can get for contributing,” Platizky said. “And at the end of the day, when the movie is on the big screen, anyone who donates can honestly say that they helped make this happen. And that is pretty cool.”
Joseph Passantino may be reached at JoePass@hudsonreporter.com.To comment on this story online visit www.hudsonreporter.com.