The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Film to be shot in Lorain area
Lorain native to spotlight hometown
Lorain is to be in the spotlight in spring as a major filming location and setting for a production.
Lorain native Joseph Carrion Jr., who is a film director and photographer, will bring his newest film project to his hometown.
Carrion, who lives in Michigan, said he will film on Lorain streets, surrounding cities in Lorain County and in Hollywood.
He also will act in the film as its main character and perform alongside familiar Hollywood actors who will trek to northeast Ohio.
The film will include appearances by Lorain County residents, natives and extras willing to participate in a positive and inspiring project in the growth of Lorain, Carrion said.
Not yet named, the film will showcase the hidden beauty of Lorain and surrounding areas, he said.
“In addition, this film will most certainly improve Lorain’s image and inspire the residents to take part in something positive and new that’s occurring in a large scale,” Carrion said.
The PG-rated film is about real-life stories and struggles and focuses on one in particular: a Lorain director who strives to overcome failure and give his all in creating a film that speaks the reality of many.
Carrion will play the director who feels this opportunity is his last chance away from depression and something that will give meaning to his life.
The director decides to shake off the sadness and seclusion that has kept him pinned down to create a film for himself and others, Carrion said.
The film will showcase actors coming together, telling their real-life stories, making sacrifices while traveling across the country and taking in experiences the director will never forget.
It will be a motivational film which also will inform the younger generation of how to avoid ramifications of drug-use and forms of mental situations, Carrion said.
Some of the notable faces to be featured in
the film are: Frank Araiza, who has appeared on CSI, Sons of Anarchy and Dexter; Santiago Cirilo, of THE WALKING DEAD and NASHVILLE on CMT; Actor, writer and comedian Rudy Moreno, known for Mom Season 5, Kingpin, Criminal Minds and Pacific Blue; Conrad Goode, who is an actor, screenwriter, film producer, musician and artist best known for his roles in Anger Management, Me, Myself & Irene, The Longest Yard, Bulletproof, The New Guy, Paul Blart Mall Cop 2 and Beverly Hills Ninja; and Lorain native Ricky “Showtime” Quiles, who has four title belts and over 18 years of professional boxing experience.
Quiles has trained with boxing champions Oscar de la Hoya, Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini, Hector Camacho and Julio Cesar Chavez.
His fights have been featured on Pay-Per-View, Friday Night Fights on ESPN and ESPN 2 and Tuesday Night Fights on USA Network Television.
Quiles trains movie celebrities in California.
Carrion said he still is working to get others on board as well as those in the community.
“The only way to rebuild Lorain is to have everybody involved; the whole community,” he said. “We must collectively gather the energy to light up Lorain.
“That’s why I’m coming back to my hometown. I will be adding as many extras from Lorain County as possible to participate in the film, including background
actors and extras. This movie can be something Lorain County will be proud to be part of.”
Carrion said this is his biggest project yet since his last documentary about fallen troops titled “Ohio Raises Heroes.”
The movie debuted at the Lorain Palace Theater on Broadway along with a few movie theaters in Ohio.
Carrion said he couldn’t have started this project without family and supporters Ray “Kopi” Carrion and Frank Love.
He seeks more community support to help reach his goal of raising $25,000 through a Go Fund Me account:
www.gofundme. com/lorain-county-movie.
Carrion also is encouraging residents to leave comments and give names of a possible title for the film.
Production will begin by spring 2019 and mostlikely completed in 2020, with showings in many small towns throughout the United States.
Mary Springowski, who is an at-large member of Lorain City Council, said she believes this is a great opportunity for Lorain and is looking for the end-product.
“I’ve often said that Lorain is the perfect town for film-making because we offer such a wide variety of
scenery,” Springowski said. “We have the waterfront and the riverfront, and we have some old architecture.
“There’s so many diverse sections of the city that you can pretty much (utilize) it to whatever you need it to be for your film-making.”
Arts and entertainment will turn things around in the city, Springowski said.
Lorain Ward 6 Councilman Angel Arroyo Jr. said he loves the movie’s focus on issues that are truly communities across the country and Lorain.
“I think it’s important (Carrion’s) focus isn’t the negative affects of it, but hopefully, a turnaround for
the roles in the movie (and) more importantly, hopefully, for someone watching the movie and it inspires them to want to shake their issues and turn their life around,” Arroyo said.
Mayor Chase Ritenauer recalled the movie “My Blind Brother,” starring Adam Scott, that was filmed in 2016 at Lorain’s Lakeview Park.
Ritenauer said movies filmed in Lorain and northeast Ohio are becoming more popular.
He said it’s an open opportunity for anyone and looks forward to Carrion’s project.
Carrion said the actors in the film are key to opening the doors of Lorain to the film industry.
“The film industry has brought over 100 projects to northeast Ohio since 2008, and has brought more than a half million dollars to the local economy and created over 3,000 jobs,” he said. “Producers of two movies spent over $80 million on products and services while filming in and around the city of Cleveland.”
According to the Greater Cleveland Film Commission, many other movies were filmed in northeast Ohio such as: “White Boy Rick,” starring Matthew McConaughey; “My Friend Dahmer,” starring Ross Lynch; “The Fate of the Furious,” starring Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson; “The Soloist,” starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx; and “The Deer Hunter,” starring Robert De Niro.