Congratulations to the film Queen & Slim cast and crew for wrapping
the Cleveland portion of their filming last week!

Universal Pictures’ Queen & Slim, starring Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out) and Jodie Turner-Smith (Nightflyers), filmed scenes on the east side of Cleveland over four nights last week, despite the formidable cold.

Queen & Slim is the story of a couple whose first date takes an unexpected turn when a police officer pulls them over. The script is based on an original idea and treatment from bestselling author James Frey (A Million Little Pieces).

Directed by Melina Matsoukas (Insecure, Master of None) and written by Lena Waithe (The Chi, Bones), with executive producer Pamela Hirsch, the film is being produced by Hillman Grad Productions, De La Revolución Films and 3BlackDot. Andrew Coles and Michelle Knudsen are also producing.

We are thrilled that Fall 2018 GCFC Intern Cayla Koslen had the opportunity to work in the Locations Department during their short time in the CLE.

Queen & Slim‘s production now heads to New Orleans to finish filming, and we wish them the best!

There’s a Cleveland connection at this year’s Slamdance Film Festival with the U.S. premiere of the documentary film Desolation Center. This documentary is the untold story of Reagan-era guerrilla punk rock desert happenings that are now recognized as inspirations for Burning Man, Lollapalooza and Coachella.

Directed by the events’ organizer, Desolation Center is the true story of how the risky, and even reckless, actions of a few outsiders can lead to seismic cultural shifts.

Long-time GCFC supporter, and former Cleveland crew member, Carol Maple Oppenheim is credited (Carol Maple) as an Associate Producer on the documentary.  Over the past couple of years, she has been involved with the film as an early supporter, providing both financial and hands-on help.  Her son Jackson worked on the film as a PA, and is credited with Additional Camera.

In 1983, Carol was one of the 115 attendees at Mojave Exodus, the first Desolation Center desert event.

Another Clevelander, Production Sound Mixer Kip Gynn, provided archival photos used in the film and is credited with Still Photography. Kip and Carol both attended the 1983 event together, and some photos of them made it into the film!

The filmmakers hope to have a Cleveland screening of the film in the future, so stay tuned!

Read more about the birth of the modern desert music festivals in the New York Times Article:  Hundreds of Punks Hit the Desert. The Modern Music Festival Culture was Born.

From directors to make up artists, those who work and want a job in the film and television industry are waking up to the notion that Ohio could be their next home.

The Greater Cleveland Film Commission (GCFC) is spearheading work to increase the Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit from $40 million to $100 million in 2019 that would bring more media production to the state than ever before.

On January 16th, Cleveland.com published an article about the GCFC’s renewed efforts to raise the tax incentive limit, and what the change will mean for Ohio.

“We have people who really, really want to come and do business and leave their money in Ohio and hire locals, and they’re waiting for us to create the mechanism,” GCFC President Ivan Schwarz says in the Cleveland.com article.

In Northeast Ohio alone, 2018 productions like the Sundance-opener Native Son,  Netflix’s The Last Summer and All the Bright Places, Helen Hunt’s I See You, and many others spent about $90 million and employed 50,000 people part-time (the equivalent of about 3,000 full-time jobs).

A recent Cleveland State University economic impact study found that the state yields a return of investment of $2.01 for the Ohio economy on every $1.00 spent towards the incentive.

On January 19th, The Associated Press also published an article, echoing many of the same observations and arguments in favor of an increase to the tax incentive; this promises to create more year-round media production work due to the larger number of productions that will be able to film in the state as a result of the increase.

Both articles also pointed out the expansion of the credit to include Ohio productions of Broadway shows, which would make it one of the most comprehensive in the U.S. In the heart of Downtown Cleveland, Playhouse Square is the nation’s largest performing arts center outside of New York, with the largest number of subscribers for touring Broadway shows in the country.

The Associated Press article took off like wildfire. The story was featured in news publications in all four directions; northern readers saw it in Milford, Connecticut, southern readers read about it in Miami, Florida, The Fresno Bee featured the story in Fresno, California, and even U.S. News & World Report and The Washington Times ran the story from the nation’s capital.

Do a simple Google Search for the story, and you’ll have to go to page 2 before the results change to a different article.

While the rest of the country waits to see the results of the GCFC’s work, filmmakers are already in pre-production for the next round of projects creating jobs and economic impact in Northeast Ohio.

Would you like to be a job and economic impact creator?  Join our mission to increase media production in Northeast Ohio by becoming a GCFC Member or Sponsor!

The 2019 Oscar® nominations were just announced, and there are
Cleveland connections to at least two of the nominees!

Nominated for Best Animated Feature, Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse’s local tie is Cleveland Native Brian Michael Bendis, former Marvel Comics writer and executive producer of the film. Bendis created the main character Miles Morales. Into The Spider-Verse also won a Golden Globe® this year for Best Motion Picture – Animated.

Paul Schrader, writer and director of Best Original Screenplay nominee First Reformed, has filmed in Cleveland twice over the years! Schrader directed the film Dog Eat Dog, which starred actors Nicolas Cage and Willem Dafoe, that shot in Cleveland in 2015, and he wrote and directed the film Light of Day which was made in Cleveland in 1987 and starred Michael J. Fox!

See all the Oscar® nominees HERE.

As accountants and consultants, Cohen & Company knows a thing or two about being creative and innovative. Since first opening their doors in Cleveland more than 40 years ago, their story tells a tale of helping business owners in Northeast Ohio and beyond see their business from a new perspective, find opportunities and seize them. It’s a story that focuses on fanatical client service, Cleveland pride and the desire to step outside of the status quo when the opportunity arises. 

The firm’s passion for clients and for the region includes supporting amazing cultural organizations that help bring Northeast Ohio into the national spotlight. Realizing the value the Commission brings to Northeast Ohio made the partnership a great match from the start.

“The Greater Cleveland Film Commission, with fantastic leadership from Ivan and his team, is certainly one of the best at creating much-needed energy,” says Randy Myeroff, Cohen & Company’s CEO. “We are very excited to support our region’s rich cultural roots through the Commission, which has been integral to creating a thriving media industry that brings economic development, growth and excitement to Northeast Ohio.”

As a corporate sponsor of the Greater Cleveland Film Commission and particularly of “Behind the Camera,” Cohen & Company has seen first-hand the impact its advocacy brings to our region.

Myeroff adds: “As we continue to create and tell our own story over the next 40 years, we hope part of our legacy will be helping others tell their stories through organizations such as the Greater Cleveland Film Commission.”

You can help create jobs and economic impact in Northeast Ohio by becoming a GCFC Partner!
Our partnerships with local businesses create a direct impact by making GCFC’s movie attraction efforts, workforce development training events, internships, and our statewide advocacy efforts all possible.

Learn more about Cohen & Company by visiting their website.

Congratulations to executive producer Graham Yost for The Americans 2019 Golden Globe® win for Best Drama Series.

Graham was a special guest at our Behind the Camera with Band of Brothers Reunion Event on November 10th, 2018. Graham wrote two episodes for the HBO series, which won six Emmy® Awards and a Golden Globe®.

Graham also joined Band of Brothers casting director Meg Liberman for an exclusive, sold-out workshop the morning of the main event. Graham and Meg gave a behind-the-scenes look into the making of the show, and discussed screenwriting, producing, and casting for film and TV.

See more from our Behind the Camera Events with Graham, Meg, and cast members HERE.

Congratulations to Native Son and Them That Follow
for being selected for the 2019 Sundance Film Festival!

Native Son has been chosen as one of the films which will open the festival. Directed by Rashid Johnson, written by Suzan-Lori Parks, and produced by Matthew Perniciaro and Michael Sherman, Native Son is a modern retelling of Richard Wright’s classic novel. A young African-American man named Bigger Thomas takes a job working for a highly influential Chicago family, a decision that will change the course of his life forever. The cast is comprised of Ashton Sanders, Margaret Qually, Nick Robinson, KiKi Layne, Bill Camp, and Sanaa Lathan.

When it filmed in Cleveland earlier this year, Native Son created over 100 jobs, with about 80 of those going to local crew!  This film also employed over 200 extras, and engaged many local businesses.

Them That Follow will also have its world premiere at Sundance. Directed and written by Britt Poulton and Dan Madison Savage, and produced by Bradley Gallo, Michael Helfant, Gerard Butler, Alan Siegel, and Danielle Robinson, Them That Follow was filmed in 2017 around the Youngstown and Salem area.  Inside a snake-handling church deep in Appalachia, a forbidden relationship forces a pastor’s daughter to confront her community’s deadly tradition. The cast includes Olivia Colman, Kaitlyn Dever, Alice Englert, Jim Gaffigan, Walton Goggins, and Thomas Mann.

Them That Follow created jobs for about 40 local crew members during production.  The film also required over 60 local extras and engaged many local businesses in their time here. 

Both films are among the 16 narrative feature films to compete in Sundance’s U.S. Dramatic Competition. This year’s U.S. Dramatic Competition boasts a diverse number of voices between the films in this category; 53% of the directors are women, 41% are people of color, and 18% identify as LGBTQIA+. We wish both films the best of luck!

Ohio’s First Stand-alone Film School is Now Open!

“We are primed to be a player in this industry if we choose.”

President and CEO Ivan Schwarz spoke passionately yesterday about the potential of the Cleveland film industry, and the importance of the CSU School of Film & Media Arts.

The new school had its official dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony yesterday; a culmination of years of hard work on the part of the Greater Cleveland Film Commission, Cleveland State University leaders, and Ohio and city representatives.

CSU student Thyra Chaney

“Everybody’s going to be ready to go into the workforce”, says student Thyra Chaney.

Originally from California, Thyra captured it perfectly. The next generation of filmmakers are gaining the skills, knowledge, and experience they will need in order to work in the fast-growing Cleveland film industry.

The school’s first 300 students are already fully immersed in the film and media curriculum in the brand new classrooms, which include state-of-the-art animation and editing labs, a motion capture space, a mobile operations simulator room, and soundproofed shooting stages customizable to any project

See more about the film school and the GCFC:
President and CEO Ivan Schwarz’s Dedication Speech
WKYC – Cleveland State dedicates Ohio’s first free-standing film school
Cleveland.com – See behind the scenes at Cleveland State University’s new School of Film & Media Studies
Cleveland.com – Cleveland’s film industry could be an economic blockbuster

Students in the first class of the new CSU School of Film & Media Arts

From the Left: CSU School of Film & Media Arts Director & Professor Frederic Lahey, Cleveland City Council President Kevin Kelley, GCFC President and CEO Ivan Schwarz, and Cleveland City Councilman Anthony Brancatelli

Former CSU President Dr. Ronald Berkman discussed the amount of work and dedication on the part of the GCFC and others required to bring this new school to fruition

Chef Douglas Katz, a native Clevelander and owner of fire food and drink on historic Shaker Square, is an advocate for all things Cleveland and its unique neighborhoods.  For almost 18 years, he has overseen the success of fire food and drink, in addition to serving as the Chef Partner at Provenance at The Cleveland Museum of Art for more than 6 years.

Like the GCFC, as a local business owner, Douglas appreciates Northeast Ohio’s diverse local population, world-class cultural institutions, and the unique agriculture and urban landscapes complimented by our Great Lake and four distinct seasons.

“We have so many unique and interesting stories to tell,” Douglas says.

As a chef, he enjoys connecting with people in the community, and the opportunities he gets to work with local farmers and other food artisans that provide high-quality ingredients to his restaurants.

Douglas finds that being a chef is a lot like being a filmmaker: he gets to work with an incredible group of people to create something for others to enjoy and he gets to tell stories; except instead of storytelling with cameras, he gets to use food!

Bernie with his 1922 Winton touring car at the front gate of Alexander Winton’s former mansion “Roseneath” off Lake Ave. in Lakewood, OH now Winton Place Condominiums.

For automotive enthusiast and historian, GCFC Member Bernie Golias, being a part of the excitement and opportunities in Cleveland’s film industry gives him a sense of how it must have felt to be alive during the birth of the automotive industry.

“To me, Cleveland was ‘The Original Motor City’ as it led the way with new ideas and creativity long before Henry Ford put America on wheels.”

That same creativity unique to the people of Northeast Ohio allow it to stand apart from other filming locations, and continues to attract filmmakers from around the country.  Cleveland has been in a renaissance for the last several years, and the mission of the GCFC to create jobs and increase media production has played an important role in spurring on the recent economic growth.

“Today, I sense the euphoria in the atmosphere and the rebirth that the Greater Cleveland Film Commission is providing.”

Bernie, at the 2018 Summit Racing Equipment I-X Piston Powered Auto-Rama. He’s pointing at one of the characters he’s developing for “Car Idiots Forever”, an upcoming YouTube series TV show which he will host.

Similar to that of the automotive industry, Bernie says, the film industry in Cleveland “not only impacts job growth, setting the stage as a major player in the film industry, but as also brings satisfaction and fulfillment to one’s soul.”

The GCFC is grateful for the passionate supporters like Bernie who, through their generous support, allow us to continue to create jobs for our region. As a nonprofit, the GCFC doesn’t receive any proceeds from the productions that film in Northeast Ohio, and that’s why community members like Bernie are vital to our success.

“I support the GCFC because they are a source that brings the city together, having instilled within me the satisfaction of experiencing the positive growth in the city’s film industry.”

Help us continue our work to create jobs and economic growth in Northeast Ohio by becoming a member like Bernie. Your membership creates a direct impact by making GCFC’s movie attraction efforts, workforce development events, internships, and our statewide advocacy efforts all possible.   

Click HERE to become a GCFC member today!