Willets Point starring in movie ‘Chop Shop’

The industrial area of Willets Point provides the backdrop for the story of a 12-year-old orphan in the soon-to-be released film, “Chop Shop,” which was recently previewed at the Museum of the Moving Image.
“Chop Shop” director Ramin Bahrani, who co-wrote the film with Bahareh Azimi, was first taken to Willets Point in 2004. While still working on his first feature length film, “Man Push Cart,” Bahrani’s cameraman had to get his car fixed and told Bahrani he had to come.
“He took me and I was immediately struck by the location,” Bahrani said. “The first time he took me there I turned and said ‘we’re making the next film here.’”
Bahrani described the area, which is sometimes called the “Iron Triangle,” as being visually overwhelming. What Bahrani also noticed about the location was how hard people had to fight to bring cars into their garages and how there was still “spirit and joy” there. He also developed an interest in children interacting in the adult world.
At first, Bahrani, a native of North Carolina who is now based in Brooklyn, spent time in the area getting to know the location better and seeing more of what was going on. From there, he began to form a story line.
“Chop Shop” is about the life of 12-year-old Alejandro, played by Alejandro Polanco. The boy gets a job at one of the chop shops in Willets Point and tries to create a life for himself and his older sister.
“I don’t know if it’s an important story to tell, but it’s a story I wanted to tell,” Bahrani said. “I’m interested in locations and characters that we haven’t seen in cinema and it seems the cinema in America doesn’t even have any interest in them…”
Many of the people in the film are the real people from the area. For instance, the garage where Alejandro worked was a real one in the area and the actual owner appeared as the owner in the film.
Bahrani said that the strength the characters in both “Man Push Cart” and “Chop Shop” display is very inspirational to him. He said that they struggle regardless of how seemingly pointless it might be, and even manage to have a smile in the end. They also illustrate what it means to love unconditionally and without judging the other person.
Bahrani said that he got a great deal of cooperation from the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre & Broadcasting to get permission to film in Queens, as well as from the people of Willets Point. Some scenes were shot on the subway and outside of Shea Stadium.
“They really just opened their doors for me to do whatever I wanted for ‘Chop Shop,’” he said.
“Chop Shop” debuted at the Cannes International Film Festival. It made its New York City debut on Saturday, January 26 with a special preview screening at the Museum of the Moving Image, which is located in Astoria. Following the screening, Bahrani and Polanco participated in a discussion about the film.
“I was very happy with the reaction in Queens because people seemed to respond to it and that means a lot when the people who live there respond to something,” Bahrani said. “I’m hoping that the people in New York will like it.”
Although Bahrani is not currently planning another project in Queens, he said that it’s always a possibility.
“The thing about New York is everywhere you turn there’s a great story,” Bahrani said.
“Chop Shop” will be released in theatres on Wednesday, February 27. For more information, visit www.myspace.com/chopshopmovie. To find out more about Bahrani’s work, go to www.noruzfilms.com.