Feature film ‘Condor’s Nest’ shot in North Carolina

(WGHP) — So many kids dream of growing up to make feature films. It’s a great life, but unless you’re one of the few people part of the big studios, it’s not quite what you may think.

“Man, it’s hard work,” said Phil Blattenberger, a UNC-Greensboro graduate who wrote and directed the new feature film “Condor’s Nest.” “We come from the independent side. We’re kind of working out way up…it’s tough. You wear a lot of hats until you really start jumping into the full studio level. I directed this film. I wrote it. I helped produce it, but you’re doing your own post-production work…you’re doing your own legal work…it’s hard work. We pulled probably 18-hour days as a production group for three years working on this thing. You’ve got to outwork everybody else. We’re Hollywood outsiders.”

Well, kind of. It’s true that “Condor’s Nest” isn’t a major studio production, but you wouldn’t know that from watching its sleek big-time feel. And most of it was shot right here in North Carolina, which is something that star Jacob Keohane, who is from Rockingham County, says can become the norm.

“This could absolutely be a hub for filmmaking,” Keohane said. “The geography of North Carolina is an absolute wonderful asset to a filmmaker. You can film on the coast…mountains. You’ve got everything in between.”

It also has some very recognizable names and faces starting with Arnold Vosloo, who is perhaps best known for his starring role in “The Mummy” as a World War II German SS colonel, and veteran character actor Michael Ironside.

“At the risk of sounding dramatic, it’s a dream come true,” Keohane said.

As much fun as it all was:

“We definitely want to make money. We’re in this for the money. At the end of the day, we have investors we have to pay back. This is a business for us,” Blattenberger said. 

And he thinks it will do just fine.

“We’ve got great production value. We’ve got cars blowing up. We’ve got a crashed B-17 in a field. Arnold Vosloo –the Mummy – strutting around as a German colonel. We got the names. We’ve got the production value. We’ve got the excitement,” he said.

Much of it was shot in places you may recognize. Some were shot in the basement of Havana Phil’s Cigar Bar in Greensboro, and the famous Julian Price House in Greensboro is the title location.

Condor’s Nest is streaming right now on most platforms and is being released in theaters in more than a dozen cities nationwide.