Robert De Niro movie filmed in Mobile and Baldwin counties premieres Friday
Around 100 local businesses and 500 actors were involved; now, they finally get to see their hard work come to fruition
MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - A movie premiered across the nation Friday, and it was filmed right here in Mobile and Baldwin Counties.
It’s called “About My Father”- a comedy starring Robert De Niro and Sebastian
Around 100 local businesses and 500 actors in the area got involved.
“June 2021 is when we got the official call that they’d be coming to film in Mobile and Baldwin Counties. From there, we began recommending local crew to be hired, logistics for hotels and locations to be scouted,” said Tommy Fell, director of the Mobile Film Office.
Mobile Film Office Director Tommy Fell says the cinematic project employed the help of hundreds of folks in the area.
One local, Oliver Dorgan, says film makers used his backyard for a major scene. He currently lives in Midtown Mobile.
“It was a huge setup, so semi-trucks came in the night before. Weeks before, they had generators set up. It was very cool to see,” said Dorgan.
Dorgan says the film benefits the community in more ways than one.
“Getting productions like this in town is not gonna benefit just the film operating crews-- but also the community at large. So hotels, restaurants, everybody benefits down the line from big productions like this,” he added.
Businesses like Y’all Folks Creative Productions also played a critical role.
“We made art for the movie,” said Jeremy Wolffe with Y’all Productions. “As the movie shoots, pretty much daily you get a call, a text or an email for this date they need something.”
“The one that stands out the most is this around 6 feet wide, 4 feet tall abstract painting that’s gonna show up in the movie, you’ll see it,” he added.
An exhaustive list of local places take center stage as well. Viewers will likely recognize several notable areas along the Gulf Coast region.
“We filmed at the Country Club of Mobile, Dog River Marina, in Midtown at a couple different homes, and then we filmed over at Steelwood Country Club across the bay. We were just bouncing all over,” said Kyle Bucher, location scout and location manager for the movie.
Fell says this film is especially important. It’s the first one filmed in the area since the COVID-19 pandemic which put the local film industry on hold.
He says the outlook for Mobile’s cinematic stage is promising.
“That’s really leading the economic impact for Mobile in the recovery from COVID, if you will,” said Director Fell. “There are a lot of productions we are working on at this time. Believe me, the industry is strong here in the Coastal Alabama region and we expect the momentum to keep growing.”
“About My Father” is in theaters right now.
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