Film Cincinnati will celebrate its 30th anniversary by creating a movie "backlot" with directors setting up shots, extras moving from scene to scene, make-up artists and lots of props.
The "Backlot 30" street party will be held in Over-the-Rhine between Central Parkway and Branch Street, west of the Rhinegeist Brewery and north of Findlay Market, on Saturday, Sept. 23.
"We want to share the celebration of our first 30 years of movie magic in Cincinnati with the community and our supporters who make all this happen," said Kristen Schlotman, executive director of the non-profit organization which has brought dozens of stars to film here in recent years.
"We also want to highlight the local jobs created by the film industry and the talented cast and crews who are in demand by producers who come here to shoot films."
All who attend will walk a red carpet and pose for photos, as if they were attending a film premiere.
General admission "superstar" tickets are $50 before August 15, and $60 after. A limited number of VIP/Director's Lounge tickets will be available at $150 before August 15 and $160 after. "Entourage" tickets for 10 also are available at $1,350 before August 15 and $1,400 after. Tickets are available now here.
Film Cincinnati's newest project is "Reprisal," an action film that starts shooting here Monday, Aug. 7 with Bruce Willis and former 2012 Miss USA and Miss Universe Olivia Culpo. Willis filmed "Marauders" here in 2015 for the same producers, Randall Emmett and George Furla of Emmett/Furla Oasis films.
Earlier this year, Emilio Estevez directed "The Public" at the downtown public library in February with Christian Slater, Alec Baldwin, Jenna Malone, Jeffrey Wright, Che "Rhymefest" Smith and Gabrielle Union.
Robert Redford, Casey Affleck, Danny Glover and Sissy Spacek completed filming "The Old Man and The Gun" at locations throughout Greater Cincinnati, Covington, and Dayton, Ohio, in May.
Last year, Emmett/Furla Oasis films shot two movies here: "Inconceivable" with Nicolas Cage, Gina Gershon, Nicky Whalen and WWE wrestler Natalie Eva Marie; and "The Life and Death of John Gotti" with John Travolta, Kelly Preston, Stacy Keach and Spencer Lofranco.
Schlotman started volunteering in 1997 at the Cincinnati Film Commission, as the city's not-for-profit film office was originally called. The Cincinnati Film Commission was established by Lori Holladay, who scouted locations for John Sayles' "Eight Men Out" in 1987 and the Oscar-winning Tom Cruise-Dustin Hoffman "Rain Man" in 1988. Local production companies joined forces to help those films, which led to the creation of the film commission with Holladay as the first executive director.
As executive director, Scholtman has lured Hollywood movie and TV companies here to produce an impressive list of films since 2011: George Clooney's "Ides of March," Don Cheadle's "Miles Ahead," Cate Blanchett's "Carol," Collin Ferrell and Nicole Kidman's "The Killing Of A Sacred Deer," Mariah Carey's "A Christmas Melody," Nick Jonas' "Goat," Jessica Biel's "A Kind of Murder," plus "Marauders," "Inconceivable," "The Public" and "The Old Man and the Gun."
She also attracted many reality TV shows here, such as "Undercover Boss," "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives," "Ghost Hunters," "Police Women of Cincinnati," "Bar Rescue," "Man Vs. Food," "America's Supernanny," "Bridezilla," "16 & Pregnant," "Campus PD," "Wife Swap" and "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition."
