Atlantic Pictures Films Movie in White Plains

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — Atlantic Pictures was busy at the Heineken corporate headquarters in White Plains on Saturday, filming scenes for the upcoming movie “Bird People” — a film being shot in Paris, France, and White Plains.

Atlantic Pictures owner Darren Goldberg is teaming up with French director Pascale Ferran to combine their two visions into one film.

Goldberg says “Bird People,” starring Josh Charles, Geoffrey Canter, Clark Johnson and Radha Mitchell, is primarily a French production about an American man who travels to France on a business trip and discovers new things about himself while leaving his past behind.

On Saturday, they shot a scene in which the main character, working for a software development firm, makes a phone call and explains to a friend all the new things he is learning.

“We’ve done a few foreign co-productions over the past 10 years,” Goldberg said. “French cinema is definitely different than American films. French films have the stereotype of being darker and more risqué and sometimes are more artistic. They have a smaller work crew in France as well and they also get a quarter-liter of wine when they’re finished. That’s different.”

Deputy County Executive Kevin Plunkett, who was on the film set, said White Plains is a natural place to shoot films; he noted the green trees among the urban setting one can see from Heineken’s office on the 12th floor of its Hamilton Avenue building. Plunkett said the county works hard to bring a variety of productions to Westchester.

“When we do something like this, it is a win for the county and for Heineken,” Plunkett said. “In Westchester County we have a very sustainable approach how business in done. This is a perfect marriage on a beautiful day.”

Stacy Tank, chief corporate relations officer for Heineken, said the company’s office in White Plains as well as one in New York City were recently refurbished for $8 million, and filming a movie there is a good way to show it off.

“We are glad to shine the spotlight on Westchester County and bring business to the city,” Tank said. “This really reflects our entrepreneurial spirit.”

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