Midwest Movie Maker

Brittany Dobish >> Whether she is documenting a nonprofit’s mission, preserving a piece of local history or helping someone tell a deeply personal story, Brittany Dobish believes the most meaningful moments happen when people feel safe enough to be heard. And safe enough to be honest. “I don’t interview people to find out who they are,” Dobish explains. “I interview them to remind them of who they are.” That philosophy shapes both her filmmaking and Dobish Legacy Films , the company she launched in 2024 to help people and organizations preserve the stories that might otherwise disappear. For Dobish, documentary filmmaking is not simply about recording what happened. It is about listening closely enough to discover what those experiences meant. Dobish with Mark Hamer, Crash Cat Media Finding meaning in the misunderstood Dobish’s interest in people, identity and personal history began long before she picked up a camera. As a teenager, she spent years observing the people around he...

Actor Christopher Meloni hanging with the Cleveland Browns (photo Christopher Meloni) >> Does Hulu’s new streaming series, The Land , focus on the Cleveland Browns? Maybe? Here’s everything we know about Hulu’s The Land  streaming series. What is The Land  TV series about? Nothing official has been announced, but some digging suggests that The Land , aka 17 Sundays , is This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman‘s upcoming Hulu series set in the world of pro football, starring Christopher Meloni and William H. Macy. Meloni was spotted in Cleveland over the summer in Berea, attending a Browns' training camp session, according to News 5 Cleveland . Meloni’s Instagram account confirms it, with snaps of Meloni alongside Miles Garrett and other Browns players. Meloni also visited the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. On August 27, Deadline reported that “'The Land' … got the largest allocation (of California tax credits) … with nearly $43 milli...

AI imagines the characters from 'Arnie' >>   The next juicy horror feature is about to creep onto the streets of Cleveland, and it comes from Chris “Casper” Kelly, creator of the cult classic Too Many Cooks . The feature, Buddy , is tentatively shooting from July through August in the Cleveland area, according to a casting call from Angela Boehm Casting . (It's a live-action film. We don't want our AI interpretation confuse you!) Buddy  was one of 14 projects awarded more than $26 million of $33 million in tax credits from the Ohio Department of Development’s Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit Program (OMPTC) aimed at boosting production and infrastructure across the state. Northeast Ohio’s Low Spark Films will produce. Filmmaker Casper Kelly Who is Casper Kelly? Kelly is an American writer, director, and producer known for his work in television and film. His work often blends humor, horror and absurdity. He gained attention with the viral short Too Many Cooks and ...

Marisa Guterman and Keith Gerchak give direction on the set of 'Lost and Found in Cleveland' >>> Cleveland’s found its latest box-office sensation, and it isn’t sporting an ‘S’ on its chest or zipping through the city’s eenie-meanie streets . It’s entirely homegrown. The independent film Lost & Found in Cleveland made history at the Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) , drawing nearly 2,500 moviegoers to its Midwest premiere on March 30, setting the record for the largest single-screening audience in festival history.  Not only did it outpace all previous CIFF screenings, but it also packed the house at Playhouse Square like no film has since the venue’s foundation was established in 1973, according to Cleveland.com Moviegoers who missed the opportunity will have to wait until Nov. 7 to see the film in theaters nationwide. (unless Lost & Found  enters more film festivals, of course). Double G Films announced Lost & Found 's theatrical releas...

Mike Judge and Alec Berg, creators of 'Automated Trucking' >>> Automated Trucking , a new comedy feature from Mike Judge, creator of Office Space , Beavis and Butthead , and King of the Hill , will shoot in Ohio this year - but where in Ohio is the real question. Automated Trucking was one of 14 projects awarded more than $26 million of $33 million in tax credits from the Ohio Department of Development’s Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit Program (OMPTC) aimed at boosting production and infrastructure across the state.  The newly launched Ohio Film & Theater Capital Improvements Tax Credit Program (OFATCI) will provide more than $7.3 million to support capital improvements for film and theater production. "Our film tax credits bring producers and stars to Ohio, and they create opportunities for the local businesses, skilled trades, and creatives already here," said Lydia Mihalik, director of the Ohio Department of Development. "The expansion of film in...

Chris Gierowski, horror movie producer and Cleveland native, on the set of 'Sweetest Day' >>>  If you created a Venn diagram with "Cinema" in one circle and "Late Night Movie Hosts" in the other, you would undoubtedly label the overlap "Horror Filmmakers." Ohio native and horror movie producer Chris Gierowski certainly fits that bill. “I remember watching Big Chuck and Lil' John with my mother when I was young,” says Gierowski. Before long he was devouring cult classics from Troma, both captivated and inspired by the offbeat, gritty world of indie horror. “I remember reading Lloyd Kaufman's book, All I Need to Know About Filmmaking I Learned from the Toxic Avenger , and telling myself I wouldn’t let it inspire me to make movies,” Gierowski says. “And then, of course, it did.”  Kaufman is the pioneering independent filmmaker and co-founder of Troma Entertainment, best known for producing The Toxic Avenger and championing low-budg...

The iconic Daily Planet globe on set in Cleveland, Ohio >>  Superman , under the guise of Genesis , was among the films awarded 2024 film tax incentives by the Ohio Department of Development. The Warner Bros. movie was one of 23 film, television, and theater projects awarded incentives through the Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit Program. Superman, formally titled  Superman: Legacy , kicks off writer/director James Gunn’s DC Universe . Here’s everything we know about the production. Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, caricatured by Shuster Superman  will film on location in Cleveland and Cincinnati Superman  will film in Cleveland and Cincinnati, according to OhioData . On-location work in Cleveland is expected to start June 17 and last through July 16, according to an April 23 casting call from Angela Boehm Casting. Neither Warner Bros. , the Greater Cleveland Film Commission  (GCFC), nor Film Cincinnati have issued an official announcem...