The Cleveland History Center’s “Hollywood on the Cuyahoga: Northeast Ohio and the Movies” exhibition will serve as a backdrop for the Greater Cleveland Film Commission’s Behind the Camera gala on Jan. 9, 2026. John Kuntz, cleveland.com

SOURCE: Cleveland.com | Joey Morona, Cleveland.com
December 9, 2025

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Greater Cleveland Film Commission is inviting Clevelanders to a galaxy far, far away — sort of — for two events in January.

Hollywood producer, production manager and second-unit director David Lester will headline the GCFC’s annual Behind the Camera gala on Friday, Jan. 9 and a Production Assistant Workshop on Saturday, Jan. 10. Lester is perhaps best known for his work on the original “Star Wars: A New Hope.” The North Olmsted native, who was in the same class at USC Film School as George Lucas and began his career as a cameraman at WEWS Channel 5 in the 1960s, has also worked on “Star Trek: The Motion Picture,” “TRON,” “Bull Durham” and two films shot in Ohio: “The Shawshank Redemption” and “Air Force One.”

The Behind the Camera gala will take place at 5 p.m. Jan. 9 at the Cleveland History Center. Lester will discuss his diverse career, sharing behind-the-scenes stories and reflections on the industry. The event includes cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and admission to the history center’s “Hollywood on the Cuyahoga” exhibition. Tickets for event, which serves as a fundraiser for the GCFC, are $50.

The following day, Lester will lead the Production Assistant Workshop at Cuyahoga Community College’s Metropolitan Campus. The workshop is intended for those interested in a career as a production crew member in the region’s growing film industry. Lester will walk attendees through a day in the life of a crew member on the set of “Air Force One,” which was partially filmed at Severance Hall in 1996. The workshop is free, but advanced registration is required.

The Greater Cleveland Film Commission was established in 1998 to attract film and television production to Northeast Ohio. Recent projects include “Conspiracy,” a feature film produced by Randall Emmett; “Carousel,” an indie romance starring Chris Pine and Jenny Slate; “Buddy,” a horror film featuring Cristin Milioti; and an episode of the upcoming Hulu NFL drama tentatively titled “The Land,” starring Christopher Meloni and Mandy Moore.

Since the creation of the Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit in 2009, film and TV production has generated nearly $1.4 billion in economic impact and helped create more than 7,100 full-time equivalent jobs in the state, according to the GCFC.

Information for both events is available at ClevelandFilm.com.

SOURCE: Ohio Department of Development
November 12, 2025

(COLUMBUS, Ohio) – The Ohio Department of Development today announced more than $17 million in state tax credits to support film and TV productions in Ohio.  

Issued through the Motion Picture Tax Credit program, three feature films and one television series are expected to create around 115 new jobs, more than $59 million in eligible production expenditures, and $215 million in total production costs.  

Projects receiving support through the Motion Picture Tax Credit Program are: 

Feature Films 

• Night Flirt, Delaware, $101,385 

• Reaper, Cuyahoga, $10,843,504.50 

• Somedays, Cuyahoga, $6,144,562,50 

TV Series 

• The Land Season 1, Cuyahoga, $859,266.90 

Additional funding is still available for fiscal year 2026. Applications are reviewed and awarded on a rolling basis.  

Applications are evaluated according to the project’s potential economic impact and contributions to developing a permanent workforce in the industry. Applications are accepted online, time-stamped, and held in the order in which they are received. The program prioritizes television series and miniseries followed by other eligible productions, based on application submission date and time. 

The Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit was created in 2009 to encourage and develop a strong film industry in Ohio. The application and additional program information can be found at development.ohio.gov/film. 

The Ohio Department of Development empowers communities to succeed by investing in Ohio’s people, places, and businesses. Learn more about our work at development.ohio.gov. 

Educate yourself on Federal 181 film tax credits and the push for a federal incentive!

Check out these resources:

Coalition for American Production (CAP) is dedicated to ensuring that the film industry remains a vibrant part of American life. With rising production costs and competitive overseas incentives, our mission is more critical than ever. Film is more than entertainment—it’s an economic engine that drives job creation, supports local businesses, and inspires communities. A national tax incentive will level the playing field and keep the U.S. as the premiere location for film production.

Click here to learn more.

Film USA is dedicated to the enhancement of the Film, TV, and Digital Media production industry across the USA. They partner with film commissions, filmmakers, and industry stakeholders to help connect the community and drive production across the states.

Click here to learn more.

Dennis Barrie, director of experience design for the Western Reserve Historical Society, stands by artifacts that will be on display to greet visitors to “Hollywood on the Cuyahoga: Northeast Ohio and the Movies” at the Cleveland History Center, as a woman works on one of the pieces. Barrie curated the exhibit, which opens in late Sept. and runs into October 2026. (Mark Meszoros – The News-Herald)

SOURCE: The News-Herald | Mark Meszoros
September 19, 2025

Cleveland is no stranger to a close-up.

The city has been featured prominently in numerous movies, most recently the blockbuster “Superman” and the comedy thriller “Eenie Meanie.”

And if you zoom out to a wider section of Northern Ohio, the region has produced or at least served as a home to myriad figures tied to the film industry, from Milan native Thomas Edison to the Russo brothers — a couple of proud products of Mayfield Village.

“And in between,” says Dennis Barrie, director of experience design for Northeast Ohio-based Western Reserve Historical Society, “there have been so many people who were actors, writers, directors, special-effects people, and we’re trying to capture all that in the exhibition.”

He’s referring to “Hollywood on the Cuyahoga: Northeast Ohio and the Movies,”which opens at the Cleveland History Center — the headquarters of WRHS — with a fundraiser celebration on Sept. 25 and runs through October 2026.

SOURCE: Phoenix Theatres
September 4, 2025

Phoenix Theatres at Great Northern Mall, is introducing to the Cleveland area audiences the rare and celebrated world of 70mm & 35mm film presentations. This iconic format will now join Phoenix Theatres list of premium presentation options, giving movie lovers the opportunity to see films in one of cinema’s most technically impressive mediums.

At nearly three times the image area of standard 35mm, 70mm film captures breathtaking resolution, vibrant color, and exceptional depth. The format’s sheer size allows for remarkable detail from subtle facial expressions to sweeping landscapes all with a level of texture and richness that digital formats often struggle to match.

“70mm is truly the pinnacle of organic film presentation,” said Cory Jacobson, President of Phoenix Theatres. “It offers a visual experience so detailed and immersive that it feels like looking through a window into another world. We are thrilled to bring this to the great state of Ohio and the Midwest region.”

Phoenix Theatres 70/35mm presentations will be projected using two historic Century Model “JJ” 35/70 reel to reel film projectors with R-31 E Magnetic Sound Penthouse, Dolby CP-200 sound processor with 6 track magnetic sound capability, precision engineered German lenses, and high intensity xenon illumination to achieve optimal sharpness and brightness across a 42-foot-wide screen. Also included is the capability to offer 70 mm DTS (Digital Theatre Sound), and Dolby Digital for certain digitally encoded 35mm sound presentations.  Every step from careful film handling to fine-tuned projection alignment is designed to honor the craftsmanship of both the filmmakers and the format.

“Phoenix Great Northern is going to be one of only a handful of select theatres in the country to be able to provide 70/35mm film presentations utilizing reel to reel projection equipment, allowing us to present archival film that is rarely viewed,” said Jordan Hohman, Vice President of Project Development.

“It will also allow us to present the wave of new Hollywood film that has been recently produced, most notably by directors such as Christopher Nolan and Ryan Coogler.  The groundswell of enthusiasm for genuine film presentations has only been growing every year, as a new generation of moviegoers have become aware of the unique quality only experienced on film,” adds Hohman. “The Cleveland area has a very vibrant and supportive film community and offering this unique 70/35mm capability builds on this interest and allows audiences to see films as they were originally meant to be seen in their grandest most cinematic form.”

Phoenix Theatres will debut its 70mm program this fall and will announce titles that will include restored classics and select modern productions shot or remastered in the film format. Additional information will be available at www.PhoenixMovies.net and on the Phoenix Theatres mobile app.

About Phoenix Theatres
The Michigan-based Phoenix Theatres opened its first Detroit-area theatre in 2000 and currently operates nine theatres and 79 theatre screens.

Photo Credit: Greater Cleveland Partnership

SOURCE: Greater Cleveland Partnership | Megan Gallagher
August 8, 2025

If you ask the President of the Greater Cleveland Film Commission, Bill Garvey, what landing the production of Superman in Cleveland means to him, he will tell you this one was special.

If you ask the hundreds of Clevelanders who saw the movie countless times during opening week, they might just cry.

There is no doubt that the production of this summer’s blockbuster in the birthplace of Superman meant something special. It’s a homecoming. It’s a rebirth. As Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne put it at the unveiling of the Superman statue in downtown Cleveland on August 2, it gives our city hope.

To understand the full impact of this movie on our city, Garvey breaks it down. As soon as the movie was in pre-production, he says the Greater Cleveland Film Commission pitched Cleveland to the movie’s head of production. Bill explains that the conversation was easy, as the production head has ties to Ohio, among other things.

“Warner Brothers again coming back, a great partner, over decades, coming back with production after production,” he says. “They started their company in Ohio over 100 years ago.”

The first film the Warner brothers – Harry, Sam, Albert and Jack – ever showed to a theatre audience was in Niles, outside Youngstown. Their father had moved the family to Ohio and began working as a butcher and shoe repairman. When a projector came up for sale in Youngstown, the brothers convinced their father to help pay for the new technology, and they began showing movies in their backyard. Eventually, they graduated to vacant storefronts, then moved their work to Pennsylvania and ultimately opened Warner Brothers Studios in Los Angeles.

Greater Cleveland benefited from this movie in more ways than one. Our city was displayed beautifully on screen, director James Gunn raved about our people, and the general movie hype gave us the spotlight. The direct financial impact for Cleveland specifically is still unknown, as the Film Commission is still under an NDA for that type of information.

They can share financial and production details for all 6 productions shot in Ohio in 2024. Garvey says 2,926 crew members were used, 2,570 background actors were contracted, and the total spend for production was $77.8 million. Surprisingly, he says Superman was not responsible for the biggest chunk of that total dollar amount.

A taste of that financial success can be found in Greater Cleveland’s local businesses. Garvey explains that businesses like dry cleaners, locksmiths, security companies and party companies benefit from films shot in Cleveland because their services are needed. Euclid dry cleaning company Jay Dee Cleaners was selected, with just a simple phone call from LA, to clean costumes for the Superman actors after each day of filming.

“The only thing we really didn’t get was the Superman outfit. We didn’t get the cape, the villain stuff,” Jay Dee Cleaners General Manager John Sabo explains. “Seeing the stuff we cleaned in the movie is pretty cool.”

The money to pay these local businesses is accounted for in the total production cost. What is not accounted for at that time is the film tax incentive. Garvey says it’s a common misconception that the tax credit money comes upfront. The businesses are paid, actors are hired, and production is complete before the money comes in.

“[The film] goes through a third party CPA audit, to analyze all the receipts in detail, and then that audit is issued to the state. The state reviews that, and only then, does the tax incentive outlay happen,” Garvey says.

That’s why the Film Commission advocates so much for the work they do – to bring more exciting productions to Ohio – and have the means to fund it. With the low cost of living and the beauty of our surroundings already in place, funding is the final hurdle the Film Commission is constantly solving for.

It’s something they will always fight for though – and that work is already being done to bring the Superman sequel to Cleveland.

“Yes, we are absolutely proactive in going after the next one,” Garvey confirms.

He says filmmakers fall in love with Cleveland when they arrive, and as long as the Film Commission fights to keep Cleveland competitive against production-heavy cities like Philadelphia and New Mexico, those filmmakers will return.

“I got into this business because I was a movie buff,” Garvey says. “I still have that child-like wonder in the magic that is created in storytelling. When you strike that gold, and it’s not easy, you know it’s hard to tell a good story, but when you strike that gold, it’s magic.”

To learn more and contribute to the mission of the Greater Cleveland Film Commission, click here.

Watch part 1 of our interview with Bill below:

Watch part 2 of the interview below:

“Superman” was one of six movies shot in Cleveland in 2024. Here, actor David Corenswet films a scene at Public Square.John Kuntz, cleveland.com

SOURCE: Cleveland.com | Joey Morona
August 7, 2025

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The blockbuster movie “Superman” has shined a spotlight on Cleveland as a destination for filmmakers after the city stepped in for Metropolis.

This fall, the Western Reserve Historical Society is seizing the moment with a new exhibit at the Cleveland History Center in University Circle. “Hollywood on the Cuyahoga” will celebrate Northeast Ohio’s long-standing role in the film industry, both on screen and behind the scenes.

READ MORE

Superman (2025) film location: the final airborne clinch: Cleveland Arcade, Cleveland, Ohio | Photograph: Wikimedia / Richard A Weaver

SOURCE: The Worldwide Guide to Movie Locations
July 17th, 2025

Another Superman means another Metropolis. This time around it’s mainly Cleveland, Ohio, with some Cincinnati and just a bit of Macon, Georgia. Discover exactly where.

The production was based at Atlanta’s Trilith Studios so although Metropolis is largely Downtown Cleveland, some practical locations are closer to the studio in Georgia.

The film opens with Superman’s ‘Antarctic’ Fortress of Solitude. The snowy landscapes are just about as far from the Antarctic that you can get.

Superman (2025) film location: Adventdalen, Svalbard, NorwaySuperman (2025) film location: the ‘Antarctic Fortress of Solitude’: Adventdalen, Svalbard, Norway | Photograph: Wikimedia / Bjørn Christian Tørrissen

It’s Adventdalen (Advent Valley), a 19-mile-long valley on the island of Spitsbergen in Svalbard, an archipelago about midway between the northern coast of Norway and the North Pole.

It lies at the convergence of the Arctic Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean, and if you’re inspired to visit, it’s an adventurous trip. Approximately 60% of the archipelago is covered with glaciers, boasts mountains and fjords and is a place to experience both Midnight Sun and the Northern Lights.

Svalbard Airport, 2 miles from Longyearbyen, is the only airport. Scandinavian Airlines has scheduled services from Tromsø and Oslo.

The action soon kicks off with an aerial battle between Superman (David Corenswet) and ‘The Hammer of Boravia’ – secretly Ultraman – a tough opponent secretly being controlled by Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult).

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