Writer and director Hamza Zaman’s new film The Institute tells the story of a Brooklyn couple, Marie (Victorya Brandart) and Danny (Ignacyo Matynia), who leave the city for the country. But this couple isn’t running from COVID-19; they’re headed to the Lands Institute for Reproductive Science. Marie and Danny have been struggling to conceive, and no treatment has worked. After using every herbal remedy and getting plenty of second opinions, Danny finds the Lands Institute.
Run by the eminent Dr. Lands (Mark Lobene), the facility promises results. At first, it’s a paradise. There’s new and exotic food to try, friendly couples to meet, and a beautiful property that the patients get to roam. But when secrets are uncovered and treatment becomes strange, the isolation the institute provides switches from calming to sinister.
Zaman explores the imbalance of power between doctor and patient as Dr. Lands manipulates his charges with promises of a child. But how far are Danny and Marie willing to go to make that dream a reality?
To decorate the Lands Institute, Zaman chose work by late Catskill artist Anthony Ballatore. Ballatore’s sculptures are angular and spindly, giving the sense that the patients are surrounded by sharp edges that will cut if they make a wrong move. His paintings rest firmly at the intersection of beautiful and unsettling, emphasizing the constant pull the characters feel to either stay and enjoy or run and hide.
When scouting for locations, Zaman looked for a lush, secluded retreat. Since most of the film’s cast was based in New York, a couple hours upstate seemed like the perfect choice. “You don’t have to drive far from New York City to be completely lost,” says producer Chelsea Roth. The majority of shooting took place in Sullivan and Ulster Counties.
The Institute was shot in the middle of the pandemic, in August 2020. The cast and crew had to become a bubble. Camp Sunshine Acres in Napanoch made that possible. The spot doubled as a shooting location and camp for everyone working on the film. There was plenty of recreation available when the shooting day was over.
“Our sound guy brought his kayaks,” says Zaman. “We had a campfire every night.” “We found a baby squirrel and it basically became our pet,” Roth adds. The camp had a game room, and the camera crew could often be found at the pool tables. When the shooting wrapped, some actors elected to stay at the camp. “It was so nice to have this break from COVID,” says Roth. “Everyone had a great time.”
According to Zaman, The Institute was made possible by upstate New York. “We had everything we wanted and more,” he says. “We had the art and locations, and the summers are really lovely up there. Without any of those elements, it would have been much more difficult.”
The Institute is currently available for streaming and on Blu-ray or DVD.
