WARREN, Ohio — You don't need to go to Hollywood to make it on the big screen. A Northeast Ohio native had the dream of writing and directing films and now he's doing just that in his hometown.
In the Midwest, "Sweetest Day” is a holiday to remind people that words, gifts, and deeds can make anyone’s day better. Well, one mid-westerner took the holiday and turned it into a horror movie, filmed in the place where he grew up.
“It was a blessing, and it was very surreal because when I wrote it, Ohio was what was in my imagination,” said Doug Hawley, the director, co-writer and co-producer of Sweetest Day.
Hawley still can't believe he's shooting a film in his hometown of Warren, Ohio.
“Warren is a very cinematic-looking place, so the movie I think is going to look beautiful and we're just very grateful that the town was really generous and kind to us,” said Hawley.
Hawley always wanted to be a filmmaker, so he went to film school at the University of Toledo where he met Chris Gierowski, who’s also a Midwest native from Parma with a filmmaking dream.
“You know, fall, Halloween, I always grew up watching horror movies, so they all went hand in hand,” said Gierowski, Sweetest Day film producer.
They both ended up moving to California to pursue their careers, but little did they know that years down the road, they would be working together.
“So, the movie is about a Black woman who learns how to use a samurai sword at the local gym so she can stop an undead Confederate serial killer from wreaking havoc on her town,” said Hawley.
Filming in their hometown was the cherry on top.
“It heartwarming, I mean, people are going to see Ohio, see the quality of this film and be like, that is a really cool place for cool setting for a horror movie,” said Gierowski.
It took them years to get the movie off the ground, due to the pandemic and writers' strikes, but they ended up being one of few productions that received an interim agreement from the SAG-AFTRA Union.
Nate Boyer is co-writer, producer, and lead actor in the movie, he’s also a United States Army Green Beret/NFL player. He says once they got the approval and it was time to film, Northeast Ohio was a no-brainer.
“We did an episode in Cleveland and it was such a cool, unique place, very like americana in a lot of ways,” said Boyer.
During filming the crew truly got to know the town working closely with the city, the Sherriff’s Office, and local businesses. Hawley says he's done many projects in Los Angeles, but nothing beats being back home.
“I mean, the big difference between shooting in Moral Los Angeles is in Warren you just need to ask and most people are more than welcome to say yes and help you out because they're just excited that the movie is being made in their town,” said Hawley.
They finished filming on November 8 and have begun editing back in California. They hope they can get the movie into some film festivals including the Cleveland International Film Festival.
