We Are Upstate NY With Filmmaker + Actor Edward Crawford

Inside+Out is super excited to catch up with filmmaker Edward Crawford –the actor, writer, and producer of the film, Sixty Miles North.  Raised in Newburgh, NY, Edward was the original host of the wildly popular Game Show Cash Cab, and he is a severe neurological Lyme survivor. Sixty Miles North is a narrative of his experiences losing Cash Cab and surviving Lyme Disease. Shot in the Hudson Valley, Sixty Miles North is his feature film directorial debut.

Where are you originally from and how did you wind up in the Hudson Valley?

My family comes from NYC and they brought me to the Hudson Valley when I was a child and I was raised in Newburgh, New York.

What inspired you to choose a career in the film business, and what was your journey as a director and actor?

Edward Burns’ film The Brothers McMullen changed my life. It resonated with me so deeply that after meeting him, and him encouraging me, I decided to make films because I felt they were a cathartic experience, a sense of healing. I started out as an actor and I didn’t think about directing until later on in my career. And I kind of regret not starting earlier.

Tell us about your latest film, Sixty Miles North, which will be shown at this year’s festival.

It’s a coming-of-age film about two people who are hurting and they empower each other in unique ways. There’s something symbiotic when a stranger is honest with you. It will make you re-evaluate the choices you’re making.

Debra Granik, who will receive this year’s Fiercely Independent Woodstock Film Festival Award, will introduce your film this year and host the Q&A. What does it mean for you to have her do that?

That is such a powerful question. Debra does not like when I get teary-eyed, but I can’t help it. My appreciation for Debra runs for 20 years. Debra cast me in the Sundance Award Winning film Down To The Bone in 2004, which premiered at the Woodstock Film Festival. This was my first real professional film role. Debra has come to watch me in Off-Broadway plays. She has answered questions of mine that she didn’t have to, regarding the Industry. Her encouragement and honesty has not only made me a better filmmaker but a better person. And per her recommendation, we changed the name of the film to Sixty Miles North.

What was your most rewarding or the most challenging project to date?

There are 3: Booking Down To The Bone, beating out thousands of actors to book Cash Cab, and, of course, having the World Premiere of Sixty Miles North screen at The Woodstock Film Festival.

What is one question you’re constantly asked or what’s the biggest misconception about what you do?

When are going to get a real job?

Can you put your finger on what makes a director a great director?

No, I cannot. And I don’t think anyone can. I think that we are only capable of being the best version of selves as a director, and that’s enough.

What are you working on now that you’re excited about?

I have three screenplays that I’ve written that are all optioned. I’ll know more this winter, about which one we will go into pre-production with.

Photo of Edward Crawford by Lynn Houston

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About Filmmaker + Actor Edward Crawford

Edward Crawford is known for Sixty Miles North (2022), The Bridge (2013) and Evans Gate (2009). He appeared in the Sundance award-winning film Down to the Bone, as well as the hit CBS tv show Blue Bloods playing Officer Cadet. Edward has made 3 award-winning short films.

Follow Edward Crawford on:

IMDb  |  Facebook  |  Amazon

 

About the Woodstock Film Festival
Founded in 2000, the Woodstock Film Festival (WFF) is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization that nurtures and supports emerging and established filmmakers, sharing their creative voices through an annual festival and year-round programming to promote culture, diversity, community, educational opportunities and economic growth. WFF provides innovative mentoring and inspired educational programs benefitting filmmakers, students and diverse audiences while serving as a powerful cultural and economic engine for New York’s Hudson Valley and beyond. Such efforts have consistently resulted in the festival being hailed as one of the top regional film festivals worldwide. The Woodstock Film Festival is an Oscar®-qualifying festival in the short film categories – Live Action Short Film, Animated Short Film, and Documentary Short Film.