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Written by Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 23 September 2020

Created: 23 September 2020

Last Updated: 23 September 2020

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Jordan Cascade, Noah Kaller, Stephen Greenberg, Ethan Lubin, Jeremy Suzman. The cast and crew getting set to shoot the car scene. Young filmmakers in Scarsdale are back at work, this time winning the Award of Merit from The Best Short Films competition for their ten-minute short, “Boy on the Moon.” The movie was filmed in just three nights in July from 9 pm to 3 am, on the grounds of Scarsdale High School. All the action takes place at night.

The film was written by Jake Lubin, who earlier this year produced “Scenes from a New Normal,” about the COVID epidemic in Scarsdale, with Jordan Cascade. For this film, they are joined by Sam Friedman who directed the film, his biggest narrative short film collaboration to date and Jeremy Suzman.

Actors and Assistant Director preparing to roll on the first shot of the final scene of the film.” (left to right) Ethan Lowey, Jake Lubin, Stephen Greenberg, Jeremy Suzman.

Actors in the film are Stephen Greenberg (Ollie), Jake Lubin (Demsky), Ethan Lowey (Alex), and Ethan Lubin, (the Drug Dealer.)

The film, which runs for just 10 minutes, depicts the story of three teenage boys, a failed drug purchase and their reckoning with a painful loss in the past. It has already accumulated over 17,000 views on YouTube from over 60 countries.

Jake Lubin and Stephen Greenberg posing for a picture before starting scene 4.

The boys met in an online storytelling course that Jake, Sam and Jordan took in the spring of 2020. According to Friedman, “After immediately clicking in that class, Jake sent me a few scripts and we talked about producing one of them. Boy on the Moon won out as the clear favorite, and we immediately sprang into action getting it made. Pre-production took the four producers (Lubin, Friedman, Cascade and Suzman) about a month. This included location scouting, casting, shot-listing, scheduling, and other logistical and creative tasks to get ready for the shoot. I had the most experience directing narrative films, so I took the lead in directing, while Jake took one of the star roles and played Demsky. Jordan was the cinematographer, meaning he was behind the camera setting up the lighting and hitting record. The rest of the crew had various other on-set roles.”

A group shot of the cast and crew at around 3:00am after wrapping the first day of shooting. Jordan Cascade, Ethan Lowey, Jake Lubin, Stephen Greenberg, Sam Friedman, Jeremy Suzman, Ethan Weismer

Asked if they had direction from an adult or mentor, Friedman said, “Jake got feedback from some writing mentors about the script during pre-production, but besides that it was entirely produced by students.”

Friedman edited the film directly after they wrapped shooting. The first draft took him only six days. Once that was done, the four producers had a screening over Zoom when they talked about some edits, and then had the final version finished by the following day. Freidman used Adobe Premiere Pro on his Macbook Pro.

The film was very low budget, and the boys improvised by using props and equipment they already had. They spent a total of $106 for lighting and sound equipment.

After a week of promotion on social media, Boy on the Moon was released internationally on YouTube. You can watch it here: 

The Best Shorts Competition recognizes film, television, videography and new media professionals who demonstrate exceptional achievement in craft and creativity, and those who produce standout entertainment or contribute to profound social change. Entries are judged by highly qualified professionals in the film and television industry. Information about Best Shorts and a list of recent winners can be found at www.BestShorts.net.

Crew

Directed by Sam Friedman
Written by Jake Lubin
Produced by Sam Friedman, Jake Lubin, Jordan Cascade, and Jeremy Suzman
Director of Photography - Jordan Cascade
Edited by Sam Friedman
Assistant Director & Script Supervisor - Jeremy Suzman
Production Assistants & Sound - Tal Blaustein, Noah Kaller, Ethan Weismer

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Written by Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 01 October 2020

Created: 01 October 2020

Last Updated: 02 October 2020

Hits: 3138

The Scarsdale Public Library (SPL) is proudly preparing to open its doors and warmly welcome residents to the newly renovated 54 Olmsted Road in a highly anticipated reopening tentatively set for November. The reimagined and modernized space was made possible by the hard work and commitment of the SPL professional and volunteer teams, essential workers, SPL Board of Trustees, Friends of the Scarsdale Library (FOSL) and, ultimately, the tremendous support of the Scarsdale community.

For the past two years, Scarsdale residents have eagerly awaited the completion of the state-of-the-art facility. Based on feedback from over 800 residents and key community stakeholders during an extensive planning process, new amenities patrons will be able to enjoy include: expanded teen and children’s areas to encourage a lifelong joy of reading, relaxing and expansive glass-enclosed reading gallery, modernized small and large meeting rooms, infrastructure improvements especially updated wiring and technology support, Americans with Disabilities Act compliant restrooms and facilities, robust business center, and Cafe area for visitors to grab a bite to eat before or after browsing the shelves.

On the newly reimagined space, Library Board President, Margot Milberg says: “With its thoughtful redesign, the Scarsdale Public Library promises to be an inviting place for everyone in our community to come together to learn, connect, create, exchange ideas, and pursue lifelong learning for generations to come.”

The renovated SPL is the result of a successful public-private partnership where fiscal responsibility and planning was top of mind. In 2016, the Scarsdale Village Board of Trustees approved a $9.9 million bond offering to help offset the public portion of the proposed $17.9 million renovation, with the balance of the funds raised by the Library Capital Campaign Committee in partnership with the FOSL. The renovation was further made possible by Assemblywoman Amy Paulin who secured a state grant funding the project.

Scarsdale Mayor, Marc Samwick, recognizes the exemplary oversight exhibited in this complex, multi-faceted project: “Partnerships were successfully cultivated among the various parties including the library staff and board members, village professionals, consultants and volunteer experts. This facilitated productive collaboration and maximized value at every turn throughout this process. We are very excited about the opening of the reimagined SPL as a critical community hub - particularly during this challenging time in which we can certainly use things to celebrate.”

On the support for the renovation, Dara Gruenberg, President of FOSL and Campaign Committee Co-Chair recognizes the key role the community played in this successful renovation: “This would not have been possible without the support and extraordinary generosity of our residents and the foresight and vision of library and village leadership. The new library truly has something for everyone in our community and gives Scarsdale the library it deserves now and into the future. I could never have imagined how incredible the finished result would be when I became involved over seven years ago.”

Reopening information will be announced in October as the SPL continues to work with state and local officials on safety procedures and COVID protocols. Library staff eagerly anticipate the community's arrival as they set up the collection and prepare for opening. Executive Director of the SPL, Beth Bermel, recognizes both the excitement and hard work of her sta in making the renovation a success: “I want to thank my staff for their flexibility and hard work during this period, and I know how excited they feel about getting back into 54 Olmsted. We can’t wait to welcome the community back to enjoy our new and beautiful space together. It’s going to be amazing.”

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Written by Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 10 September 2020

Created: 10 September 2020

Last Updated: 19 May 2023

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This week readers were sorry to see that longtime favorite restaurant, California Pizza Kitchen has closed its doors in the Archway Shopping Center at 365 Central Avenue in Scarsdale. It was puzzling because the restaurant has always been a favorite and was usually bustling. With moderate prices in fresh ingredients it was fast food that was nutritious and tasty too.

The leasing agent for the property says that the entire California Pizza Kitchen chain filed for bankruptcy on Thursday July 30, however the note says that they were planning to keep locations open during their reorganization. Why not Scarsdale? An employee told a customer last week that “the corporate office couldn’t come to an agreement over the proposed rent increase.” We tried to reach the landlord, Merolda Properties, but got no reply. About the closing, their website says, “Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and related lease challenges with our landlords, we regret to inform you that we have closed this CPK restaurant.”

Meanwhile, the 4,500 square foot space is vacant and seeking another tenant. It’s a highly visible location, with ample parking, good visibility and ideal for a restaurant.

The leasing agent also noted that Long Island Bagel Café has opened in the Archway Shopping Center and is serving great bagels, appetizers, salads and more. According to their website, “Long Island Bagel Café uses time tested recipes for authentic, rolled, old-fashioned New York bagels. Our bagels are boiled and baked to perfection every day.”

In other news, we spoke to Herb Lindstrom, the owner of popular eatery Cooked and Co. that has also closed after an eight year run on Garth Road. We wondered if there was anything his landlord or the Village might have done to save the restaurant. Lindstrom said, “My landlord was actually very helpful. He really wanted me to make it. And the town was actually very good too. I think my problem was my space was too big to support the current work model that I set up. Payroll was my biggest problem.”

On the finances he explained, “When my PPP loan ran out I estimated I would lose about $5,000 a week so that’s why I decided to close. Plus it was hard for me to work in the current environment. It was not fun anymore.”

What about the future? Lindstrom said, “I’m not planning on opening a space until this situation is back to normal but I’m not opposed to going back to how I started --with a limited menu cooked out of a space that I would share with someone else. I’m not doing anything for at least 6 months. I need to just take a break.”

We asked about his outlook on the future of the restaurant industry and he said, “I believe that when others run out of their loans it will be hard to survive. If I never expanded I would have been fine. I think with the cold weather and no outside seating it will be hard to survive with 50 percent capacity. So I’m hoping that something positive happens soon or we will lose more of our favorite spots.”

Vicenzo Alaia flanked by his chefs.The good news is that the ever-popular Italian restaurant Cafe Alaia will take over the site vacated by Cooked and Co. We heard a rumor they were moving up the street and received confirmation. They plan to open in larger quarters in mid-November.

Here is what we learned from Nancy Rosner and Vincenzo Alaia: "Yes, the rumors are true! We are very excited to be expanding into the Cooked & Co location. We will open our restaurant, Cafe Alaia there with the same menu that we have now. We needed the space more than ever now with the social distancing requirements and capacity restrictions still at 50%. We have been doing very well with our outdoor dining on Garth Road and will remain at our current location and continue to serve outdoors there for as long as weather permits. We also currently open at 50% seating indoors with wide open floor to ceiling windows open to the front."

"Our plan for the new larger space is to complete some minor cosmetic fixes to suit our style and open early to mid November. We will be able to serve about 50 people for now and up to about 100 there once things return to normal.
We will keep our current location under a new name and use that space as a wine bar with more casual small plates type menu."