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UPDATE: This story was updated at 11:36 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025.

After seeing “Little Miss Sunshine” in 2006, 10-year-old Carmen Emmi left Regal Destiny USA (then the Carousel Center) with a goal: make his own movie and premiere it at the mall.

On Thursday, that dream came true. Before premiering his directorial debut, Carmen held a nearly two-decade-old ticket stub in his hand.

“Because of that movie, because of that experience with the audience, and just experiencing this family’s journey with everyone, you kind of left feeling like a family,” Carmen said. “And I feel like that movie even made me closer to my family, and it helped us see each other a bit more clearly.”

Carmen hosted the Syracuse premiere of his Sundance Film Festival award-winning film “Plainclothes,” on Thursday night to a lively, energetic audience at Regal. The film is screening at Regal until Oct. 9 and the Manlius Cinema until Oct. 2. He’s hosting another Q&A Friday night in Manlius.

When Carmen pulled out the ticket stub from “Little Miss Sunshine,” he fondly remembered seeing the movie with his parents, Joe Emmi Sr. and Tina Emmi, who were both present at the premiere of “Plainclothes.”

“It’s a dream for us because it was Carmen’s dream,” Tina said.

The Syracuse native wrote the film with his hometown in mind: he shot around Syracuse, like at the Landmark Theatre, an Eastwood home and Our Lady of Pompei St. Peter Church — the church where he was baptized and his grandparents got married.

He incorporated footage from his childhood in the film, like a video of his brother sporting an oversized New York Giants helmet. Carmen included material he shot with his Hi8 as a kid and captured new footage with the same camcorder.

Set in 1997, “Plainclothes” follows Lucas (Tom Blyth), a Syracuse police officer (inspired by Carmen’s brother’s occupation) tasked with luring and arresting gay men. Eventually, Lucas develops feelings for one of the targets, Andrew (Russell Tovey).

Carmen read about 2014 sting operations in Long Beach, C.A., where officers targeted gay men for lewd conduct and indecent exposure. The story is deeply personal to Carmen, who policed his feelings growing up as a closeted gay man, he said.

“I really want to revisit where I came from, for my younger self, to kind of give him closure and let him know that he is accepted and that he is loved,” Carmen said.

Director Carmen Emmi hosted the Syracuse premiere and Q&A for “Plainclothes” on Thursday. The movie features many Syracuse staples, including the Landmark Theatre and Regal Destiny USA. Dana Kim | Contributing Photographer

The filming locations make the picture feel like a “time capsule,” Carmen said. Multiple scenes were filmed at The Galleries of Syracuse. When Lucas meets up with Andrew, symmetrical shots boast the Landmark’s golden grandeur.

By shooting in his hometown, Carmen said he created a familial environment on set. His mom, dad, uncle and niece appear in the film, alongside many current Syracuse University students and alumni. SU Department of Drama professor Christine Albright plays Lucas’ aunt.

“I was on set for four days, and it was the most generous environment,” Albright said. “Everyone was there to just give love to the script, because it was really clear that Carmen loved it so much.”

SU alumna Celine Rahman worked as the assistant costume designer and head of social media for the film. Also a Syracuse native, Rahman attended Jamesville-Dewitt High School with Carmen, where they met during their senior prank — the last 24 hours of high school. She said working on the movie was a “full circle moment” for both of them.

“It never gets old seeing him in this light and getting everything that he deserves because he’s worked so hard for so many years to make this happen, and he knocked down a lot of doors,” Rahman said. “It’s a beautiful thing, and I’m glad that people are finally able to see it.”

Carmen said it was special to see how the community rallied behind “Plainclothes.” His goal was to give back to Syracuse, which he feels he accomplished by providing work for locals.

In a Q&A after the screening, Carmen praised American High and the Visit Syracuse team for building a local filming infrastructure and bringing business to the city. Though he realizes it may not always be possible, Carmen said he hopes to make all his movies in Syracuse.

The film is a love letter to Carmen’s home, he said. Carmen said other actors, like Tovey and Blyth, have expressed that same affection for Syracuse.

“To me, being someone that’s from here, it just means the world,” Carmen said. “Because it’s not just some Rust Belt town, you know? It’s where we have a true identity. A lot of beautiful things can be born here. And I feel like I can’t wait for what’s to come.”

Published on September 26, 2025 at 9:53 pm