That’s a Wrap

A Blockbuster Year For Local Film Paves The Way For An Even Bigger 2025

By Frank Etheridge

While the broader American movie industry endured a tough year, filmmaking in Columbus enjoyed a banner year in 2024.

“It was a great year for local film,” says Paul Rowe, a writer, director and producer widely hailed as a driving creative force in the community. “In past years, it was a [single] notable film of size that came here in a given year. What made this year great was the sheer volume and locally produced feature films and documentaries.”

The growth of filmmaking in Columbus in 2024 bucks the larger downward trend for movie making, with the industry reeling from economic concerns and changes in audience appetite for the big screen.

“We are in a really bad spot in terms of the filmmaking industry — there’s just not a lot of filming going on right now,” says Rowe. “What has grown, however, is the number of low-budget independent productions. Columbus is ripe for making those.”

Rowe’s Last Caress Productions wrapped this fall for A Southern Horror. Promoted on social media as “This Is Local Filmmaking,” the wildly creative slasher/dark psychology film was conceived and created by home-grown talent. Its cast and crew consisted of 89% local residents and was 100% filmed at local locations such as Westville.

Rowe cites several big-budget productions which made movies here in 2024: Razor’s Edge, starring James Franco and Tommy Lee Jones; crime-thriller Thieves Highway with Aaron Eckhart; and Over the Hill, starring Oscar winner F. Murray Abraham, who was spotted around town buying Veri Best Donuts by the dozen and in the pews at First Presbyterian for several Sundays. Over the Hill was brought to town thanks to Story Mill, a company led by film-industry titan John Mock, which manages the expansive, state-of-the-art production facilities at Flat Rock Studios.

Another 2024 notable includes the feature film Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda, based on a romance novel by Columbus author Pam Willis-Hovey with Elaine Johnson The film was shot over the summer in Old Town and directed by the multi-talented Stacy Cunningham, and was recently picked up by SEEMA TV.

In December, local production company Film Village released its first feature-length documentary with COLGA: Understanding Gang Violence in a Small Town. Earning rave reviews for both its artful aesthetics and hard-nosed journalism, the doc was co-directed by Caleb Money and David Swanson, two talented emerging filmmakers in Columbus looking to make a splash — and a difference. COLGA was scored by musician Garrett Lee with cinematography by the masterful Trey Walker, whose Mud Films projects seemed to be everywhere in 2024, from directing music videos with SiBL to numerous commercials, shorts and films. In January, Joseph Talerico, a South Georgia transplant now working in Columbus, premiered his short “Living with Loss” – filmed on 35 mm and set to fiddle by the stellar Kelby Clark — locally before taking it out for a national tour. Director Lucas Hicks’ first feature film Chasing June, shot and produced locally, will premiere in Atlanta on the 17th.

John Houzer, videographer, designer and the LocaL’s film guru, says Columbus in 2024 “absolutely” enjoyed its best year yet as a hub for making movies. “I attribute it all to Paul,” Houzer says. “He’s been at the forefront of all of this community since we started.”

In addition to working as a grip assisting Director of Photography Trey Walker on A Southern Horror, Houzer had a unique perspective of a genius’ creative process when he worked as an extra on Razor’s Edge. While filming a sequence shot inside Scruffy Murphy’s, Houzer recalls how James Franco prepared for an intense scene by asking the crew to be quiet then “went into this weird meditative state for 20 seconds” before cameras rolled.

Noting he was the only local working as an extra in that scene, Houzer credits Rowe’s commitment to local filmmaking as paving the way for today’s growth. “None of us are waiting around for someone to make it happen for us. Paul’s definitely one of us and has put everything together to represent us in a great way,” Houzer says. “More importantly, he’s doing it the old-fashioned way, the independent way. Paul’s going out there and doing it. He’s building that army.”

The new grants program from the Columbus Film Commission (CFC) will now provide that army with vital ammunition – money.
In December, the CFC announced the winners of its inaugural Local Filmmakers Grant, an initiative Rowe lobbied long and hard for which the commission says “aims to foster local creativity, enhance the film industry, and boost Columbus as a destination for filmmakers.” Totaling $45,000, the funds were split between seven grants ranging from $2,500 to $15,000. Besides Rowe – who anticipates using the much-needed financial support to “engage in some really high-quality post-production for A Southern Horror” – recipients of the first-ever grant (expected to be awarded on annual basis in the years to come) are Adam Bova, Kane Kettering, Noah Ligon, Erin Walsh, Brandon Horton, and Talisha Nichols.
“Working with the Columbus Film Fund Board, we are incredibly excited to introduce this grant as part of an ongoing effort to nurture local talent and grow the film industry in Columbus,” says Film Commissioner Joel Slocumb. “These seven filmmakers represent the best of our community’s creative spirit, and we are proud to offer them the opportunity to tell their stories and share their perspectives. This grant is a testament to our commitment to cultivating a vibrant, inclusive, and thriving film industry right here in Columbus.”

While eager to enhance the future release of A Southern Horror, the ever-creative Rowe is already at work making more films. His feature The Operator is now in pre-production, as is web series “Southern Scares” (It’s a working title) while his screenplay Blood Flower made the cut at the 2024 Scriptapalooza Festival.

Committed to making movies – and making them in Columbus – Rowe is bullish on the future of local film. “The Film Commission’s local film grant is a game-changing investment in our vibrant film community,” he says “This bold move supercharges our mission to cultivate a thriving hub for filmmakers, further igniting opportunities both homegrown and beyond. With this grant, the dream of a stronger, more dynamic filmmaking future isn’t just a vision — it’s happening now!”

Paul Rowe will be part of a panel discussion on independent filmmaking moderated by renowned film critic Scott Phillips with Trey Walker and writer/director/producer and collaborator Andy Carpenter, at 4 p.m. Saturday, January 25 at the National Infantry Museum following, the screening of Carpenter’s short “West of the New Kansas,” shot on location at Historic Westville.