By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
Is Sea Isle City becoming the Hollywood of the East Coast?
Probably not, but the beach town is enjoying some Hollywood-style hoopla as the backdrop for a movie shoot now underway.
EB Films LLC, an independent movie company, began filming scenes in Sea Isle on Monday and is scheduled to continue until Oct. 30.
The movie is a “whodunit suspense thriller mystery” set in a fictitious small seashore town. It will not have any gore or nudity, Sea Isle spokeswoman Katherine Custer said.
Custer did not know the title of the movie.
Although Sea Isle’s beaches, the Townsends Inlet Bridge and other local scenes will serve as some of the settings for the film, the town’s name will not be mentioned in the movie.
“They are not naming Sea Isle,” Custer said.
EB Films has been keeping Sea Isle apprised of its filming schedule to avoid any disruptions.
“Everything is above board with the film shoot. They have been keeping the city in the loop during the whole process,” Custer said.
EB Films had to provide proof of insurance and sign a “hold harmless” agreement that protects Sea Isle from any liability during the movie shoot.
“They’re not going to interfere with general life or impact the city is a negative way,” Custer said.
The Cape May County Bridge Commission, operator of the Townsends Inlet Bridge, has also entered into an indemnification agreement with EB Films to protect the agency from any liability during filming on the bridge.
The Townsends Inlet Bridge connects Sea Isle and Avalon. Movie scenes will also be shot in Avalon, according to the Bridge Commission’s indemnification agreement.
EB Films is owned by E.B. Hughes, an award-winning writer, director and producer of the movies “Turnabout” in 2016, “Exit 0” in 2019 and “The Long Way Back” in 2020. He also wrote the film “The Fallen Faithful” in 2010.
“Exit 0” is a horror movie that was shot at the Doctor’s Inn B&B in Cape May Court House and other locations around Cape May. The title apparently was inspired by the southern end of the Garden State Parkway, known as Exit 0, in Cape May County.
The film is about a couple whose weekend getaway turns dark when the man discovers a videotape chronicling the events of a murder that occurred years before in his very own hotel room, according to the movie trailer.
Information available online about Hughes says that he grew up in South Jersey and lives in Ocean City. He commonly uses Atlantic City and other South Jersey locations for his films.
He could not be reached for comment Monday about the Sea Isle film shoot.
Separate from the movie by EB Films, the Sea Isle City Tourism Commission generated excitement this month when it announced it is planning to shoot a new 30-second tourism commercial that will serve as one of the centerpieces of the town’s 2024 summer marketing campaign.
No professional actors or actresses will appear in the commercial. Instead, it will feature ordinary people who visit and vacation in Sea Isle.
In the commercial, people will be interviewed around town and at special events. They will be asked, “What is your reason to smile in Sea Isle?”
When it is ready, the commercial will be shown on many of the city’s marketing platforms, including social media and the visitsicnj.com tourism website.
