4-22-2022 10:27am

‘As They Made Us’ Film Debut, Shot Entirely in NJ

North Jersey locations set the scene for the newly released dramatic comedy “As They Made Us,” the story of a recently divorced mom trying to make peace with her dysfunctional family while taking a second chance at love.

Produced by Anne Clements, Ash Christian, and Michael Day, with Yale Productions’ Jordan Yale Levine and Jordan Beckerman, and Mark Maxey of Rolling Pictures, “As They Made Us” marks the screenwriting and directorial debut of the former Big Bang Theory star Mayim Bialik.

The movie was released simultaneously in theaters and video on demand on April 8th by Quiver Distribution.

The cast includes Bialik’s Big Bang co-star Simon Helberg, as well as Dianna Agron (Glee), Candice Bergen, Dustin Hoffman, and Charlie Weber.

The movie was filmed on locations in Belleville, Bloomfield, Clifton, Elmwood Park, Glen Ridge, Lyndhurst, at FelicianUniversity, Advance Neurosurgery Associates, and at a residence in Rutherford.

Two graduates of the Production Assistant Bootcamps sponsored by the New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission, NBC Universal, and Sony Pictures Entertainment served as crew on the film. The P.A. Bootcamp is designed to train New Jersey residents from diverse backgrounds for these entry-level jobs in the film production industry.

“Although As They Made Us is set in Los Angeles, the movie was produced entirely in New Jersey,” said Governor Phil Murphy. “Our state’s competitive incentives and film-friendly communities make New Jersey extremely attractive to filmmakers, and we are delighted that Mayim Bialik came here for her feature directorial debut.”

“As They Made Us is one of over 100 feature films to shoot in the state since the New Jersey Film & Digital Media Tax Credit Program was signed into law in 2018,” according to David Smith, Vice Chairman of the NJ Motion Picture and Television Commission. “We have become home to a bourgeoning industry that produced over $500 million in revenue for the state last year alone, and creates thousands of jobs annually.”

New Jersey’s Film & Digital Media Tax Credit Program offers eligible production companies 35% transferable tax credit on qualified film production expenses, plus an additional 2-4% diversity bonus for qualified productions.

Other major motion pictures and television series recently attached to the state of New Jersey include Zack Snyder’s “Army of the Dead,” Alan Taylor’s Sopranos prequel film, “The Many Saints of Newark,” the CBS television series “The Equalizer,” Hulu’s “Wu-Tang: An American Saga" (seasons 2 and 3), Lifetime’s “Death Saved My Life,” Halle Berry’s MMA drama “Bruised,” and Steven Spielberg’s remake of “West Side Story.”

Universal Pictures' feature film “Bros,” the Apple TV+ dramedy “The Greatest Beer Run Ever,” and Zach Braff’s “A Good Person” were filmed in New Jersey in 2021 and are scheduled to be released later this year.

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