'Antibirth' film shoot contributed $1.2M to local economy

 “Antibirth,” the film starring Hollywood actresses Natasha Lyonne, Chloe Sevigny and Meg Tilly that was recently shot in Sudbury, contributed $1.2 million to the local economy, according to the CEO of the local company producing the film.

“It will impact hotels, restaurants, car rental companies, catering companies, just to name a few,” said David Anselmo, who owns Hideaway Pictures, in an email to NorthernLife.ca.

“More importantly, it will impact the 100 plus people we've employed from the region who work full-time in this industry.”

The movie was filmed March 23-April 15 at iconic places such as Northern Breweries and the old Mine Mill Hall, although the majority of the filming took place at the Northern Ontario Film Studios to allow for a controlled environment.

Lyonne, an Emmy-nominated actress, is known for her work in the “American Pie” series as well as the Netflix series “Orange is the New Black.”

Sevigny received Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for the film “Boys Don't Cry,” and won a Golden Globe for the HBO series “Big Love.”

Tilly won a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination in 1986 for her work in “Agnes of God.” She's best known for her performances in “Agnes of God,” “The Big Chill” and “Valmont,” as well as the television series “Bomb Girls.”

“It was such a pleasure working with Chloe and Natasha,” Anselmo said. “Both being nominated actresses (Natasha an Emmy and Chole an Academy Award), the level of acting that they brought to the film will really stand out when people see it,” Anselmo said.

“Being really close friends in real life, their chemistry on screen was great. They did enjoy Sudbury a lot and weren't shy to explore the local culture on their time off. We also had the lovely Academy Award nominated actress Meg Tilly working on the show. She is from BC and really enjoyed her stay here too.”

@heidi_ulrichsen