LANSING — The Michigan Film Office announced today the feature film Needlestick has been approved for a film incentive from the state. The thriller was written, and will be directed by Michigan native Steven J. Karageanes. The project is expected to shoot in metro Detroit this December.
Cast for the film includes Harry Lennix (Ray, The Matrix Reloaded), Stan Harrington (Lost Angels, Altered), Steven Morana (Whiskey Business, Three Chords From the Truth) and Michigan natives Jordan Trovillion (Vanishing on 7th Street, Setup) and Alara Ceri (All Things Fall Apart, Time for Passion).
“This is an opportunity to showcase a Michigan filmmaker and the talented cast and crew we have here in the state,” said Carrie Jones, director of the Michigan Film Office. “Supporting our indigenous film industry, and the projects they produce, is an important component of our mission in the Film Office.
The project was awarded an incentive of $71,529 on $245,333 of projected in-state expenditures. The project is expected to hire 42 Michigan workers with a full time equivalent of 2 jobs.
Needlestick is a psychological thriller about a cardiac surgeon who discovers a cure for aging, but is deadly for his subjects. Once he turns a cardiac hospital into a source for his test subjects, his young student must fight his way out of the hospital to survive, and put a stop to Dr. Crick’s experiments.
Karageanes is a sports medicine physician in Detroit and current president of the American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine. He recently won the Action on Film $100,000 Writers Challenge for his script “Make It Big.” His production team all hail from Michigan, including producers Dwjuan Fox and Edward Stencel and executive producer Aimee Cowher.
Needlestick is the final project approved for Fiscal Year 2012. A total of 13 projects have been awarded a total of $16,999,982 on $57,793,562 of approved production expenditures for the year. These projects are expected to create 1,072 Michigan hires with a full time equivalent of 256 jobs.
The Michigan Economic Development Corp. (MEDC) Film Review Committee, comprised of senior MEDC staff including the Michigan Film Commissioner, reviews all completed applications. Using the statute to guide approval decisions, preference is given to projects that best meet the following criteria:
- The production is financially viable.
- Utilization of existing infrastructure (studios, post-production facilities, equipment rental, etc.).
- The number and wage levels of direct jobs for Michigan residents created by a production.
- Ability to show Michigan in a positive light and promote the state as a tourist destination.
- Magnitude of estimated expenditures in Michigan.
