CITY ANNOUNCES STREET CLOSURES FOR DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

NEW ORLEANS–Today, the City of New Orleans announced the upcoming closure of several blocks in the Central Business District and Lower Garden District for filming of the major motion picture Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Beginning Saturday, May 11, the 100 and 200 blocks of South Rampart Street, the 1000 block of Common Street, and the 1100 block of Tulane Avenue will be closed to all vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The street closures will remain in effect through June 24, 2013 to accommodate filming. In addition to the downtown street closures, parking restrictions and street closures will be in place on 500 Orange Street, 500 Market Street, 500 Richard Street and the 1500 to 1600 blocks of South Peters Street through May 24 to accommodate filming in the area. All street closures and detours will be marked by signage and uniformed police officers will be on duty daily to assist with efficient traffic flow. A traffic plan with maps and alternate routes for downtown traffic can be found at www.nola.gov/film, the home page for Film New Orleans in the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Economy. Film New Orleans, the City’s Traffic Engineering Division, the New Orleans Police Department, New Orleans Fire Department and other City agencies have worked closely with the production company to minimize the impact to area business, residents and commuters. The production company has done extensive outreach to businesses and property owners in the surrounding area. Twentieth Century Fox announced today that principal photography is underway on Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Andy Serkis, celebrated for his performance in the last film, reprises his role as Caesar. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes also stars Jason Clarke (Zero Dark Thirty, Public Enemies, The Great Gatsby), Gary Oldman (The Dark Knight Rises, The Harry Potter film series), Keri Russell (The Americans, Mission Impossible III), Toby Kebbell (The Prince of Persia, Wrath of the Titans, Rock N Rolla), Kodi Smit-McPhee (Let Me In, ParaNorman), Enrique Murciano (Traffic, Black Hawk Down), Kirk Acevedo (The Thin Red Line) and Judy Greer (The Descendants, Three Kings, 13 Going on 30). Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is directed by Matt Reeves (Cloverfield, Let Me In). The producers are Peter Chernin, Dylan Clark (Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Oblivion), Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver (Rise of the Planet of the Apes). Tom Hammel (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) is executive producing. Members of the media with questions about the production should contact publicist Gregg Brilliant atgbrilliant@gmail.com. The production will employ about 600 local residents and involve approximately 200 visiting cast and crew. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes will have an estimated local economic impact of $80 million, which takes into account what the production will spend on costs such as labor, lodging, good and services.Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is one of the largest productions New Orleans has hosted. “We’re proud to welcome Dawn of the Planet of the Apes to New Orleans,” Mayor Mitch Landrieu said. “The fact that this production is in New Orleans is a testament to the incredible growth of the local film industry into a major economic engine, creating jobs and supporting existing local businesses and new ventures.” Film New Orleans assists productions with the City’s permitting process, connects productions with local crew and resources, and facilitates communication between productions and the local community. In 2012, New Orleans hosted 61 tax credit film projects (TV, films and commercials with budgets over $300,000), with direct spending of $669.8 million. In 2011, the City hosted 46 tax credit projects with an estimated $544 million in direct spending. Additional information will be released and posted at www.nola.gov/ film as it becomes available. Alfonso Bresciani UNIT STILLS PHOTOGRAPHY (IATSE LOCAL 600) http://www.pompo.com/unit-stills-photography HEADSHOTS http://www.pompo.com/headshot-and-portrait-photo-sessions FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY http://www.nolapic.com/