White Plains, NY - An Elmsford diner got its day in the sun this week when Samuel L. Jackson and Edie Falco plopped into a booth overlooking Route 9A to film a scene in their upcoming movie, Freedomland – also starring Julianne Moore.

The Red Fox Diner is the latest Westchester County location to “star” in the upcoming Freedomland film, based on a best-selling novel by Richard Price. The crew shot two days last week at the old police station in New Rochelle and are also spending time in several locations on the streets of Yonkers.

The county’s Film Office coordinates the filming of more than a dozen major feature movies a year and brings in about $3 million in fees to the county, municipalities, and private businesses and homes. All told, given all the expenses involved in a major production (food, hotels, other expenses, etc.), film production brings in about $10 million a year.

Freedomland, distributed by Columbia Pictures, tells the story of a police detective, Lorenzo Council (Samuel L. Jackson), who investigates a carjacking incident involving a woman and her small son.  The movie, which takes place in New Jersey, illustrates rising racial tensions between a predominantly black city and its mostly white neighbor. The film is directed by Joe Roth (Christmas With the Cranks) and scheduled to open in Jan. 2006.

originally published online here: http://westchester.com/Westchester_News/Westchester_Arts_and_Entertainment/'Freedomland'_Movie_Scene_Shooting_In_Local_Diner_200504225105.html