Midwest Movie Maker

Could we see filmmaker Darren Aronofsky in Cleveland? Five films were awarded a piece of Ohio’s Motion Picture Tax Credit and say they plan to shoot in the state this spring and summer, according to the Ohio Film Office . One of those films is White Boy Rick , a possible $30+ million film from executive producer Darren Aronofsky. Possible because there is more than one White Boy Rick film in the works. (We were unable to confirm prior to posting which film plans to shoot in Cleveland this year.) Each film tells the tale of “White Boy Rick” Wershe, a teenage drug dealer working in Detroit who was sentenced to life in prison when he was 17 after selling more than 8 kilos of cocaine to undercover agents. He was also working as an FBI informant at the time, but it didn’t save him from arrest. The first, White Boy Rick , is from Aronofsky’s Protozoa Pictures , which has produced award-winning films including Black Swan, Requiem for a Dream, Pi and The Wrestler . Yann Demang...

Higbee's in downtown Cleveland during the filming of 'A Christmas Story' A Christmas Story . What is it about this movie? What is it about this film that so captures the imagination of Clevelanders ? And I don’t mean in the way it captures the imagination of overtired parents and children coming down off a candy cane buzz sitting in front of TBS on Christmas Eve . I mean how Bob Clark ’s now classic film, based on Jean Shepherd ’s classic story, is now part of the very fabric of Cleveland . It is true that some of the film’s most iconic scenes - the outside of Ralphie’s house and the backyard where he shoots his eye out, the Christmas parade and Ralphie’s tragic visit to Santa Claus ( “Ho …. ho ….. ho.” ) - were filmed here. But the bulk of the movie was shot in Toronto . And the story is set in fictional Hohman , Indiana . Still. Doesn’t matter. A Christmas Story is Cleveland through and through. How did this happen? And why is it so? ‘You’ll sho...

Check out the full infographic at the bottom of this story. Cleveland , Detroit and Pittsburgh are historically known for their ties to the steel, oil and automotive industries. At the height of production, and when city populations were expanding, the region was interchangeably known as the Manufacturing Belt and the Steel Belt . But when those industries began to decline in the mid- to late-20th century, and laid-off workers started moving away, the region got a new name: The Rust Belt . Today, all three cities are in the midst of a renaissance. New industries are taking hold in each city, enticing thought leaders and young professionals to put down roots and make the Midwest home. Bio-medical, technology, social services and education are fueling the region’s rebirth. But the most exciting and surprising new industry for Cleveland , Detroit and Pittsburgh is the motion picture industry. In fact, the three metropolitan areas, no more than a five-hour drive apart...

The middle of line for 'Captain America 2.' We're all headed for that brick building. Krista and Ray, huddled under umbrellas and bearing the full brunt of a cruel Northeast Ohio rain, remained in high spirits. Both would-be  Captain America: The Winter Soldier extras stood half-way through a line of people waiting to apply to the film - a line at least 1,000 Ohioans deep. I stood with them, covered in a National City raincoat - weather resistant, not water proof - crossing my fingers that Maryellen Aviano , extras casting director for the Marvel movie, would cast me for a vital extras role in the new film. You know, something like "bearded guy who runs from flung shield." Something like that. Getting closer to the end of the line. For spoiler fans out there eager for the next tidbit of news on the super-secret project, I don't have much. And I'm not necessarily willing to give anything out. Truth is, I want my 15 seconds of fame. And if...

Eric Swinderman is making the mother of all Cleveland love stories. The filmmaker, born in New Philadelphia, Ohio, and a Cleveland area resident since 1996, is quietly making an independent film in and around Cleveland, on weekends and late nights, which will turn heads and have people talking within the year. And not just because it has the backing of writer/director and Cleveland native David Wain . Or the bona fides of Shaker Heights native and director Jamie Babbit ( United States of Tara , The Middle ) and writer Karey Dornetto ( South Park, Community, Arrested Development ). No, people will be talking because the film – a collection of love story vignettes loosely tied together – is the collaboration of dozens of Northeast Ohio writers, directors, actors, crew members and cinephiles. Not too mention the talent of local celebrities like Robin Swoboda and Leon Bibb . Midwest Movie Maker sat down with Swinderman not long ago to talk about Made in Cleveland : ...