"Summer Camp," filmed in Western North Carolina and starring Diane Keaton, Kathy Bates and Alfre Woodard, is out in theaters May 31, as the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority works to build on the film's excitement for WNC's summer camps.
The movie wasn't just filmed in WNC. Many residents of the area were hired as extras for the movie. "Summer Camp" producer Dori Rath told the Hendersonville Times-News that over 1,000 extras from the area were featured in the film.
Now, the BCTDA is working with Visit North Carolina, the statewide tourism promotion agency, to develop a media campaign to promote Western North Carolina's summer camps in anticipation of the movie's May 31 release, President and CEO of Explore Asheville Vic Isley said during the BCTDA's May 29 meeting.
"We really are looking forward to kicking off summer and the summer season with this extra boost and getting Asheville in hearts and minds of potential visitors and families this summer," Isley said, noting the BCTDA had coordinated with local content creators and influencers to talk about WNC's summer camps while developing a new landing page for the movie.
Here's what to know about the movie, plus weekend showtimes in Hendersonville and the Asheville area.
Who stars in 'Summer Camp'?
"Summer Camp" stars Oscar-winning actresses Diane Keaton and Kathy Bates as well as Oscar nominee and Emmy winner Alfre Woodard.
Keaton, who was spotted in Asheville several times during filming for "Summer Camp," posted on social media expressing that she enjoyed her time in the area, writing "LET'S PUT IT THIS WAY... I'M HAVING FUN IN ASHEVILLE" in a late-April 2023 Instagram post.
The film also stars Eugene Levy and Beverly D'Angelo.
Where was the movie 'Summer Camp' filmed?
According to previous reporting by the Times-News, Rath said the film crew fell in love with the WNC mountains while scouting locations for the movie.
"The area is chock full of summer camps, and each camp has more than 4,000 families that attend," Rath said.
According to Rath, WNC locations where crews filmed "Summer Camp" included Camp Pinnacle and UNC Health Pardee in Hendersonville and Blue Ridge Community College in Flat Rock.
What is 'Summer Camp' about?
According to the Times-News article and a news release on "Summer Camp," the movie tells the story of Nora (Keaton), Ginny (Bates) and Mary (Woodard), who have been best friends since they met at summer camp as children.
They jump at the chance to reunite when a summer camp reunion arises, after seeing less and less of each other over the years. Each of their lives might not be where they imagined, but one thing is for sure — Nora, Ginny and Mary need each other, and summer camp reminds them why.
About Camp Pinnacle, the 'Summer Camp' filming location
Camp Pinnacle, a crucial location for "Summer Camp" filming, is a 126 acre campus in Flat Rock, about 10 minutes from DuPont State Forest.
Features of the camp include:
'Summer Camp' screenings in Hendersonville, Asheville
Starting May 31, you can catch a showing of "Summer Camp" at the following theaters:
Will Hoffman, Asheville Citizen Times, contributed to this report.
Iris Seaton is the trending news reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at [email protected].