Mixed Feelings: Feature Film From Writer-Director Clarinda Blais Sets Dual Shoot in New York and Dallas for January 2027

A culturally specific, emotionally grounded romantic dramedy is taking shape ahead of a January 2027 production start, and working professionals in both New York and Dallas should have this one on their radar now. Mixed Feelings, a feature film currently in casting and pre-production, follows Ted and Lily, a couple whose unexpected pregnancy during a holiday family visit ignites a collision between his elite Chinese-American upbringing and her working-class Rust Belt Catholic roots. The film is written and directed by Clarinda Blais, who is also producing alongside Ari Johnson, Chris Merola, and Benjamin Chi. With confirmed filming locations in New York and Dallas and a hard start date of January 2027, the production is far enough out that department heads are not yet being brought on en masse, but this is exactly the window in which smart crew make their introductions.

Clarinda Blais occupies a distinctive seat on this production, functioning simultaneously as writer, director, and producer. That triple role signals a deeply personal project, the kind where creative control is concentrated and the set culture tends to reflect the vision of one primary author. Writer-director-producers in that mold tend to attract teams built on trust and shared aesthetic sensibility, and they often staff from within established creative relationships. Blais's involvement across all three functions also suggests that the script is fully developed and greenlit from a creative standpoint, which reduces the development-risk noise that surrounds many similarly sized productions. Casting Director Julina Baber, CSA, is attached, which is a meaningful indicator that the talent search is actively underway. Baber's involvement gives agents and managers a direct point of contact for submissions, and her presence signals that the production is organized and moving with intention despite its longer runway to cameras.

The producing team brings additional infrastructure to the project. Ari Johnson, Chris Merola, and Benjamin Chi join Blais in the producer ranks, and the combination of four producers on a single feature of this scale suggests a project that has been built carefully, with financing and logistics distributed across multiple partners. Benjamin Chi's involvement is worth noting in context: given the film's thematic focus on Chinese-American identity and family dynamics, his presence on the producing side may reflect both cultural fluency and community-connected financing. The production does not yet have a publicly announced studio, streaming partner, or distributor attached, which means it is likely being positioned as an independent feature on the festival circuit, or is in the process of completing its financing package. That context matters for crew assessing scale and union status, which has not yet been officially confirmed.

Filming across two major markets, New York City and Dallas, is a logistically ambitious choice that speaks directly to the story's cultural geography. New York is one of the most infrastructure-rich production environments in North America, with an exceptionally deep local union crew base, world-class stage facilities, and a thriving independent film community accustomed to shooting character-driven features in tight urban environments. The city's 35 percent below-the-line tax credit through New York State's Film Tax Credit Program makes it a financially attractive anchor location, and the density of local talent means department heads and day-players alike have a legitimate shot at consideration. Dallas, meanwhile, is a growing production hub that has benefited substantially from Texas's film incentive program, which offers a qualifying production spending rebate that can reach up to 22.5 percent depending on Texas-based spend and hiring commitments. Dallas has a developing but enthusiastic local crew base, and productions shooting there often look to augment with crew from Austin and occasionally Houston. Local Dallas crew should take note: a feature of this kind, rooted in Rust Belt Catholic working-class identity, will likely lean on practical locations and real neighborhoods for authenticity, which means the locations department and production design team will have meaningful work to do in that market.

As a feature film centered on family, cultural identity, and intimate personal conflict, Mixed Feelings falls squarely into the character-driven dramedy category, the kind of film that tends to prioritize strong performance, naturalistic production design, and location texture over visual effects or large-scale action. That points to specific crew needs: a production designer and art department with a clear eye for lived-in domestic spaces, a costume department capable of coding class and ethnicity through wardrobe with subtlety, and a cinematographer comfortable shooting intimate ensemble scenes in real interiors. A holiday setting in New York also introduces the possibility of exterior winter shooting, which carries its own logistical considerations for the AD team and locations department. With filming beginning in January, the production will be navigating New York in the dead of winter, and experienced local crew who know how to move efficiently in those conditions will be especially valuable.

For professionals looking to get ahead of the curve on Mixed Feelings, now is the time to flag this one. Casting is active, which means agents and managers should be in contact with Julina Baber, CSA, immediately. Department heads interested in positioning for below-the-line roles have time to make introductions through the producer team, and local New York and Dallas crew should stay close to updates as the January 2027 start approaches and staffing ramps up. The full listing for Mixed Feelings, including production contacts, office details, and the most current crew roster, is available on ProductionList.com. Bookmark it, check back regularly, and get your inquiry in early on a project that has the hallmarks of a festival-season contender with real crew opportunities in two distinct markets.

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