Greater Philadelphia Film Office

Greater Philadelphia Film Office Greater Philadelphia Film Office is the film commission of southeastern Pennsylvania serving the Philadelphia and surrounding counties.

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10/09/2026

Did you know one of Philadelphia's historic cemeteries has appeared in multiple Hollywood movies? 🎬🍂

With October in full swing, we're exploring the cinematic history of Laurel Hill Cemetery!

The historic grounds have been featured in *Rocky Balboa* (2006), *Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen* (2009), *Law Abiding Citizen* (2009), and *The Nail: The Story of Joey Nardone* (2009).

From Rocky's emotional moments to Hollywood action and suspense, Laurel Hill has provided filmmakers with a uniquely Philadelphia backdrop.

It's another reminder that our region's incredible locations are part of what makes Philadelphia such a special place for filmmaking.

Which filming location should we explore next?

10/08/2026

Some exciting news for Philadelphia's film community! 🎬👏

Congratulations to Heery-Loftus Casting! Philadelphia casting directors Diane Heery and Jason Loftus have been nominated for a 2027 Artios Award for their work on HBO's *Task*, alongside casting director Avy Kaufman.

Presented by the Casting Society, the Artios Awards recognize the talent and creativity behind assembling the casts that bring our favorite stories to life.

We're proud to see these outstanding local industry professionals recognized for their contributions to a series filmed right here in the Philadelphia region.

Congratulations, Diane and Jason! Well deserved!

10/07/2026

Sometimes a story starts with something as simple as losing your TV privileges.
2026 Set in Philadelphia Screenwriting Competition Content for Kids Award winner Aaron Kim shares how childhood memories with his brother helped shape him as a storyteller before audiences heard "Mountain Sleds" brought to life by our incredible cast.
Congratulations again, Aaron — and thank you to everyone who joined us for the winners’ live reading! 🎬✍️

10/06/2026

🔔 SCHOOL IS BACK IN SESSION! 🍎

One of Philly’s favorite classrooms is back! Abbott Elementary returns for Season 6 TOMORROW, bringing another year of laughs, heart and plenty of Philadelphia spirit.

Created by West Philadelphia’s own Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary has put Philly front and center for audiences around the world — and we’re ready for another season.

📺 Season 6 premieres Wednesday, October 7 at 8:30 PM ET on ABC and streams the next day on Hulu.

Who’s watching? 👀

10/05/2026

There’s a remarkable piece of Philadelphia history in this footage.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Crazy Street Riders built, rode and gathered around a homemade skate ramp near the then-abandoned Eastern State Penitentiary.

Today, Blue Morrocco Productions is working with original riders to document that history carefully—combining surviving archival footage with firsthand oral histories, research and artifact discovery.

The goal is to preserve the story through the voices of the people who were actually there.

Crazy Street Riders is fiscally sponsored by the Greater Philadelphia Film Office, and the project is currently raising support for its next phase of interviews, archival work and production.

If this piece of Philadelphia history speaks to you, help us spread the word. And if you have photographs, memories, objects or a firsthand connection to the Crazy Street Riders, the production would like to hear from you.

Learn more and support the project:
https://bluemorroccoproductions.com/crazy-street-riders/

10/02/2026

October is here, Halloween season is officially upon us, and there may be no better time to revisit one of Philadelphia’s most atmospheric filming locations. 🎃🎬

Eastern State Penitentiary has been transformed on screen into a psychiatric institution, a Malaysian prison, and even a hiding place during an alien invasion.

You can spot the Philadelphia landmark in *Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen*, *12 Monkeys* and *Return to Paradise*.

That’s part of what makes a great filming location so interesting — the same walls can tell an entirely different story depending on the movie.

Which of these three did you recognize first?

10/01/2026

BREAKING NEWS 📰✍️

The Set in Philadelphia Screenwriting Competition deadline has been extended!

That means more time to write, rewrite, polish, and submit your story — as long as it’s set in Philadelphia.

Your story isn’t going to submit itself.

📅 New deadline: Nov. 2 2026
🎬 Submit https://filmfreeway.com/SetinPhiladelphiaScreenwritingCompetition

09/30/2026

What a night. 🎬

The 2026 Joan Bressler Set in Philadelphia Screenwriting Competition Winners’ Live Reading brought writers, filmmakers, industry professionals, friends and supporters together to celebrate the stories coming out of our region.

Congratulations again to this year’s winning writers:

🏆 Joe Mortimer — *Split*
🏆 Charisse Corbin — *Rutherford Academy*
🏆 Diane Sismour — *The Doll Keeper*
🏆 Aaron Kim — *Mountain Sleds*

The live reading gives winning screenplays the chance to move beyond the page and come to life in front of an audience — while connecting talented writers with people who can help champion their work.

Think your story could be next?

The 2027 Set in Philadelphia Screenwriting Competition is accepting submissions now.

09/29/2026

🎬 FILMMAKER POLL: BLOCKING vs. CAMERA MOVEMENT

Sometimes the camera moves. Sometimes the actors do the work within the frame.

In *Unbreakable*, M. Night Shyamalan uses both. **Blocking** is the careful positioning and movement of actors within a scene, while **camera movement** changes our point of view as the action unfolds.

Fun fact: More than 30 scenes in *Unbreakable* were reportedly filmed as single takes, with some setups shot without traditional coverage.

So, filmmakers: if you could only choose one…

🎭 BLOCKING
🎥 CAMERA MOVEMENT

Which one are you taking?

09/28/2026

From Greater Philadelphia to Sundance to PBS! 🎬

We’re incredibly proud to have supported *Bucks County, USA* through GPFO’s Fiscal Sponsorship Program.

The five-part documentary series premiered its first two episodes at the Sundance Film Festival and is now reaching audiences nationwide on PBS.

Episodes 1 & 2 are streaming NOW on the PBS app and PBS.org, with more coming in October:

📺 Episode 3 — October 4
📺 Episode 4 — October 11
📺 Episode 5 — October 18

Congratulations to the filmmakers and the entire *Bucks County, USA* team. We love seeing a Greater Philadelphia story make its way to audiences across the country. ❤️

Start watching now on PBS!

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City Hall, 1400 JFK Boulevard 7th Floor Room 708
Philadelphia, PA
19107

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