Brooklyn Nights is a tale of romance and disco - of star-crossed lovers whose passion burned brighter than the sun. Set during the disco era of New York in the late 70s, it’s the story of an Italian American woman named Genine, as she reflects back on her past life and a love stronger than most will ever know.
“They Don’t Make Love Songs Like This Anymore”
SUMMARY
The story is a memory tale, told through the eyes of GENINE CANATA as she reflects on her past, taking us back to a magical time when she was 26. When disco entranced the New York nightlife. And when she fell in love.
Younger Genine’s days consist of familial obligations: To CARMEN, her single mother. Her younger brother, good-hearted but troubled, JOEY, and her oldest brother, Brooklyn wiseguy who’s on his way to becoming a mademan, RAYMOND. Her dream is to become a professional dancer. Her nights are spent as a cocktail waitress at a nightclub, ripe with sounds of Donna Summer and The Bee Gees. There, Genine falls in love with BIG MIKE, the nightclub’s bouncer. Big Mike is a standup guy. He doesn’t drink or party.
Big Mike is old school. A bodybuilder and a man’s man. He’s a recent inductee into the New York Police academy like his father before him. Upon finding out that Mike is a cop (and not Italian), Carmen and Ray demand that Genine break it off with Big Mike, for fear that he would clash with their criminal ways. Genine struggles with the choice between her family and her heart.
Big Mike, meanwhile, struggles with the corruption running rampant in his precinct. Through all of this, Mike and Genine prevail, their love a seemingly unbreakable bond. Together they get lost in the magic of romance. Their days spent walking the Coney Island boardwalk and their nights spent dancing in Studio 54. Ray’s criminal activities draw Joey into trouble, when Joey shoots a corrupt undercover cop from Mike’s precinct in defense of his brother Ray. In a panic, Joey mistakenly leaves the weapon at the scene of the crime.
Genine begs Big Mike to break his moral code and tamper with the murder weapon to protect Joey from being charged with the crime. Big Mike relents, at the cost of his career, his freedom and the detriment of his and Genine’s relationship.
CHARACTERS
Geovanina “Genine” Cannata
A headstrong Italian woman with a thick Brooklyn accent and heart of pure gold. The middle child and only girl of three, she was raised as much by the streets as her single mother. The story follows Genine, as she remembers the humid summer days, disco-filled nights, and irreplaceable love she found in the late 70s.
Big Mike
A stand-up guy. A man of honor. Oldschool. They don’t make them like that anymore. A simple man whose lifelong dream is to be a cop, like his father before him. He may not be the brightest, but he knows what love is.
Genine and Big Mike Years Later
Ray Cannata
Genine’s older brother. A hustler who does his best to fill the gap left by his absent father by any means necessary. He’ll lie, cheat, steal, and kill for his ambitions.
Joey Cannata
Genine’s younger brother. Opinionated and bigmouthed but loveable. Joey loves his mother and sister and looks up to his older brother. He wants to be a “man” like Ray, but when he gets in over his head, he crumbles like the good-hearted kid he really is.
Carmen Cannata
Single mother of three who’s had a hard life. She knows her sons are not perfect, but believes they do what they have to survive. She does her best for the little family she has left.
Mickey
Big Mike’s single father is as tough as they come. He’s fought in the war, sailed around the world, and worked as a cop in New York City. He’s a man of few words, but when he speaks, it’s poetic.
Murdoch
Big Mike’s partner on the force. He’s not trying to rock any boats, just trying to keep his head down and make captain. He’s an alright guy, good for a laugh and a conversation.
WRITERS AND DIRECTOR
Cameron Van Hoy
Writer/Director
Cameron produced the critically acclaimed horror comedy Tragedy Girls, before writing and directing his debut feature Flinch. Van Hoy has an affinity for documenting love, family, and crime in an epic, timeless way.
“Flinch is a crime thriller that channels the greats from the past while simultaneously forging its own path.” - Good Bad Flicks
“Van Hoy displays the kind of patience, spatial awareness, and narrative control of someone with more feature experience, resulting in a crime thriller with enough surprise to keep you locked in.” - Douglas Davidson, Elements of Madness
“Van Hoy never relents, refusing to let viewers get comfortable and keeps them on the edge of their seats.” - Kyle Bain, Film Threat
Mark Foster
Writer
Mark Foster is an American singer, songwriter and musician, best known as the lead singer of the band Foster the People. Foster had his big break as one of the co-founders of Foster the People in 2009, along with his two friends, Mark Pontius and Cubbie Fink The band has since released three studio albums: Torches in 2011, Supermodel in 2014, and Sacred Hearts Club in 2017. He has gone on to direct several of his band’s music videos and has been focused on writing and developing feature film screenplays.
