Producer, filmmaker and CEO of Black Monarch Entertainment, Olivia Charmaine Morris, will serve as the keynote speaker and guest lecturer at Northern Kentucky University’s Black Cinema Celebration next week.

“The two-day event is part of NKU’s Black History Month celebration and aims to provide students with a deeper level of education in relation to film, a lesser-known aspect of Black studies,” reads a press release from the university.

Morris founded production company Black Monarch Entertainment in 2020 to highlight the works of filmmakers from groups who have been historically excluded or underrepresented in the entertainment industry. Prior to that, Morris served in executive roles at TBS, Universal Television and elsewhere. She’s also worked as an executive producer with Netflix.

“My career blossomed from being rooted in Cincinnati’s rich creative soil,” Morris said. “I was immersed in the arts here from a young age, and that foundation continues to shape my work. Being back in this region to engage with students and celebrate Black cinema is both humbling and energizing.”

Her keynote address will take place on Thursday, Feb. 26 at 6 p.m. at the university’s Math, Education and Psychology Building. The event will also include a screening of Morris’ new animated short film, which she co-produced with NKU Professor David Childs.

“Morris’ visit to NKU highlights the university’s status as a premier destination for leadership, education and the arts,” said Childs. “Through opportunities like the Black Cinema Celebration’s film screenings and Morris’ keynote address, we provide experiences that allow students to learn from successful and innovative creative professionals.”

The event is free and open to the public, but the university is asking people to register in advance here.

Click here to read a complete bio of Morris.

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If you’re a Love Is Blind fan, you probably already have Wednesday marked on your calendar.

That is, assuming you watched the first six episodes, during which contestant Elissa Finley accidentally put nail glue in her eye instead of eye drops — prompting a trip to the emergency room and a lot of jokes about whether love is, well, half blind anyway.

Finley was able to return to the experiment after a trip to the hospital, but she had to don an eye patch on the way home, according to an interview with Netflix.

“Did you know that eyes heal the fastest?” she said in the interview. “By day two, it was just a little blurry and not irritating. I just couldn’t wear my contacts, so I was in the pods half blind. I mean, I was really committed to this.”

Finley made a full recovery, and she’ll be in Norwood on Wednesday at Aces Bar & Grill in for a Love is Blind watch party.

This season, the show was filmed in Ohio’s capital, with singles from Cincinnati to Columbus looking to find love.

The event starts with a meet and greet with Finley at 6:30, followed by episodes 7 and 8 at 7 p.m., shown across more than 10 TVs with sound on, according to Aces’ Instagram post.

Aces is even serving special Nail Glue shots.

“Come early,” the post reads, “Grab a drink, and settle in… things are about to get messy 👀”

Aces Bar & Grill is located at 2730 Maverick Drive in Norwood.

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The state of Ohio is kicking off its Ohio Goes to the Movies initiative today, a series of film screenings over 250 days that will showcase the state’s contributions to American filmmaking.

It’s all part of America 250-Ohio, a series of events the state is putting on in 2026 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Cincinnati’s first screening will be the 1966 screwball comedy Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number!, starring the Ohio-born actress and comedian Phyllis Diller.

It will be hosted at the Kenwood Theatre on February 15 and be presented like a red-carpet premiere, with “step-and-repeat photo opportunities, themed concessions, film facts pre-show, themed pre-film introduction and post-film discussions.” This is the first of three screenings held by the theater group that owns the Esquire, Kenwood and Mariemont Theatres, the region’s largest independently-owned theater group.

Each screening will have a meaningful connection to Ohio in some regard, whether it’s a main actor, director, or a filming location.

“Ohio Goes to the Movies is about celebrating how film connects communities,” said Molly Kreuzman, Ohio Goes to the Movies program director. “Cincinnati’s strong film culture and creative history make it a natural place to launch this celebration and invite audiences to experience these stories together.”

Here’s the full list of screenings in Cincinnati for the year:

Kenwood Theatre: “Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number” 2/15/26
Cinemark Western Hills: “A.I. Artifical Intelligence” 3/1/26
Cinemark Oakley Station “The Color Purple” 3/1/26
Miami Vital Society of Whitewater Township “History in Your Own Backyard” 3/25/26
Mariemont Theatre “Lover Come Back” 4/5/26
Miami Historical Society of Whitewater Township “History in Your Own Backyard – Whitewater Township Videos” 4/22/26
Contemporary Arts Center “The Best Years of Our Lives” 5/15/26
Colerain Park Amphitheater “Little Giants” 7/17/26
Cincinnati Museum Center “Apollo 11: First Steps Edition” 7/18/26
Esquire Theatre “A Raisin in the Sun” 8/14/26
RJ Cinema Distillery and Taproom “Rain Man” 9/21/26
AMC Anderson Towne Center “Jurassic Park” 10/2/26

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In an effort to spread the joy of cinema to the public, the Cincinnati Public Library is beginning a new series of film screenings at the library’s Downtown location.

The series will be hosted by various local film curators in the city, which library specialist and event organizer Fritz Pape said is “in the spirit of continuing to foster the incredible grassroots homegrown community of film curators we have in Cincinnati.”

Local film organization Leontine Cinema Collective, which primarily screens women-directed films focused on social issues, will helm the first screening. In the library’s south atrium, they will show the classic 1997 Southern Gothic horror film Eve’s Bayou, which follows 10-year-old Eve Batiste as she navigates the unraveling of her affluent family in 1960s Louisiana. Jurnee Smollett and Samuel L. Jackson star.

According to Pape, the screenings are an “evolution” of a similar series the library put on last year.

“Last year, they were all movies picked by library staff—those were fun, but coming in to the new year I wanted to expand the reach,” Pape said. “At the library we’re always focused on collaborating with community partners across the city, so it made sense to reach out to the plethora of film curators in town who’ve been showing films at the Esquire, Mariemont and elsewhere to pick a movie to show in our space.”

Screenings will occur on the second Thursday of every month, and will bring in film organizations from all over the city to collaborate. April will see Open Source Cinema take over the library, a local collective that screens independent or underseen films every Tuesday in Northside.

It’s even more proof that Cincinnati’s film community is exploding in popularity, with organizations like Outer Cinema Cincinnati and Secret Base Cinema regularly drawing massive crowds of people that want to watch films they’ll never see anywhere else on the big screen.

“Since reopening the Downtown Library back in 2024, we’ve been expanding our music & film programing,” Pape said. “We’re so lucky to have such a fervent community of film watchers in Cincinnati, so I’m really excited to help provide a space for that community to blossom.”

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A local nonprofit dedicated to independent filmmaking is taking over operations of the historic Mariemont Theatre.

In a press release Thursday, Cindependent, which is best known for hosting the annual Cindependent Film Festival, announced that it has been working with Mariemont leaders, community partners and stakeholders to assume operations at the cinema. The Esquire Theatre Group is currently operating the building, but will be transitioning out of the space soon, according to Mariemont Theatre’s website. 

The shift in operational management will make the Mariemont Theatre the first independent, nonprofit movie theater in Greater Cincinnati.

“This is about more than movies — it’s about preserving a community treasure,” Cindependent Founder and Executive Director Allyson West said in the release. “The Mariemont Theatre has always been a place where people come together, and we’re thrilled to honor its legacy while creating a new home for independent film, local voices, and shared experiences.”

Cindependent says, under them, Mariemont Theatre will expand the community’s access to independent, international and locally produced films along with mainstream, family-friendly fare. It also plans on retaining all of the theater’s employees. 

The Save the Mariemont Theatre Committee volunteer group says it has been coordinating with arts organizations and foundations to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for transition funding. The transition is expected to take around 16 weeks, depending on fundraising goals.

“This theater is the heartbeat of Mariemont. It is woven into the memories of families in our region and it is upon us to ensure it thrives,” says Save the Mariemont Theatre Committee Chair Cheryl Chapman. “We are confident in Allyson’s leadership with Cindependent and the plan that’s been developed.”

Cindependent will also launch a grassroots campaign in the community called Friends of the Mariemont Theatre, which will give Mariemont residents and film enthusiasts the chance to become founding members of the new nonprofit cinema. Membership ranges in tiers, starting at $60 a year, up to $5,000 a year. Membership dues will support daily theater operations, and members will receive early access to tickets, special screenings and exclusive events.

“Cindependent is excited to bring a flood of people to this cinema to share in our love of storytelling together, to provide a new home for filmmakers and filmlovers we’ve been developing for nearly 10 years now, and to stimulate the economic community through stories and shared experiences,” said West.

Mariemont Theatre, 6906 Wooster Pike, Mariemont. More info: mariemonttheatre.org.

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Bryce Dessner, the Cincinnati-born Grammy Award-winning composer and musician and co-founder of indie rock band The National, has been nominated for an Academy Award.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the nominations for its 98th annual Oscars on Thursday. Dessner, along with Australian musician Nick Cave, was nominated for Best Original Song for “Train Dreams” in the Netflix period drama of the same name. Dessner composed the film’s score, as well. 

“[Dessner’s] nomination underscores the global reach of artists shaped in this region and highlights Cincinnati’s influence on the international creative landscape,” Film Cincinnati said in a press release following the announcement, adding he’s become one of the most sought-after composers in contemporary music.

Train Dreams, directed by Clint Bentley and starring Joel Edgerton and Felicity Jones, is based on a 2011 novella by Denis Johnson and follows the life of Robert Grainier (Edgerton) as he works the land in the early 20th century, helping build the country’s future. The story’s told against the backdrop of the Pacific Northwest, the landscape of which played a big role in the score’s creation, said Dessner.

“I wanted to explore all those sounds and the poetry of the filmmaking. Also, a lot of [the film] is silent; a lot of the film has very little dialogue. It’s very much immersed in the environment so that just the sweep of the forest, the sense of the earth were really important for me in the music,” Dessner said during an interview with Netflix.

Train Dreams was the fourth film Dessner has worked on with the film’s director and co-writer Bentley and co-writer Greg Kwedar, having also co-composed the scores for Transpecos (2016) and Jockey (2021) with his brother and fellow The National founder, Aaron Dessner, as well as composed the score for Sing Sing (2023). 

Other songs nominated for Best Original Song include “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters, “Dear Me” from Diane Warren: Relentless, “I Lied to You” from Sinners and “Sweet Dreams of Joy” from Viva Verdi!

The 2026 Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 15, and you can watch on ABC and Hulu. You can stream Train Dreams on Netflix now and listen to the song here or below:

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Cincinnati is continuing its transformation into a Midwest Hollywood as it, for the ninth year in a row, snagged a spot on MovieMaker Magazine’s 2026 “Best Places to Live and Work as a Moviemaker” list. The Queen City dropped from its former place at No. 11, where it had been since 2022, to No. 15 among major cities in the United States and Canada.

MovieMaker says it evaluates cities based on production activity, tax incentives, crew depth, permitting efficiency, infrastructure, cost of living and overall livability. The magazine highlighted Cincinnati’s streamlined permitting process through Film Cincinnati, a robust local crew base, below-average cost of living and production resources that can support both large-scale studio projects and independent works as reasons for the ranking. It also praised the Queen City’s quality-of-life features, like the number of green spaces and bike trails, as well as its prevalent Italianate architecture, which makes it an ideal location for period pieces.

Film Cincinnati President and CEO Kristen Schlotman says the ranking puts a spotlight on Cincinnati as a destination for world-class storytelling and those who work in the creative sector.

“This recognition reflects decades of strategic investment in making Cincinnati a place where filmmakers can succeed while having a great quality of life,” Schlotman said in a press release. “It affirms the growing influence of the creative economy and underscores Cincinnati’s emergence as a national leader in production.”

Also helping Cincinnati in the rankings is Ohio’s 30% film tax rebate, which allows filmmakers to maintain production quality within budget.

Cincinnati was the highest-ranking Ohio city on the list, with Cleveland coming in at No. 23. Louisville, Kentucky, ranked just below Cincinnati at No. 16, and Toronto took the top spot.

In 2024 and 2025, Cincinnati hosted movie productions like James Gunn’s Superman, as well as Kelly Reichardt’s The Mastermind, starring Josh O’Connell and Alana Haim. The Chaperones, directed by India Donaldson and starring Paul Dano, David Johnson and Cooper Hoffman, was the latest film to wrap principal photography, says Film Cincinnati. 

You can see the full MovieMaker rankings here.

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A Cincinnati native and Ohio bar owner will appear on this week’s episode of ABC’s hit reality show, Shark Tank.

Megan Pando is the founder of Columbus’ Makers Social, an interactive makerspace and bar that allows guests to work on DIY projects, like jewelry-making, leatherwork and woodworking, while also enjoying craft cocktails and social connection. On Shark Tank, she’ll pitch her concept to a panel of potential investors of Shark Tank, also known as “The Sharks,” who will decide if they want to take a chance and invest in Makers Social. 

Pando grew up in Cincinnati and also lived in Pittsburgh before moving to Columbus in 2014, where she opened her first business, Studio 614, a paint-and-sip studio in Clintonville. She says the experience of opening Studio 614 was instrumental in her later venture, Makers Social.

“I started this business just a month before the pandemic hit, making the launch of Makers Social one of the most challenging experiences of my life,” Pando said in a press release. “Receiving the invitation to appear on Season 17 of Shark Tank was a surreal and deeply gratifying moment. I’m proud to represent Ohio on a national platform.”

Pando’s episode of Shark Tank will air on Wednesday, Jan. 14 from 10-11 p.m. 
You can learn more about Makers Social at makerssocial.com.

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Over the years, Cincinnati has become a prime spot to film a movie. From critically acclaimed hits like Rain Man and Carol to blockbusters like the new Superman film, the Queen City has made its mark on the silver screen, thanks also in part to the Cincinnati businesses and organizations that have opened their doors to cast and crews.

If you’re a film buff or just hoping to sit in the same place a celebrity like Nicole Kidman or Robert Redford sat, we’ve highlighted several places in Cincinnati that have appeared on the big screen below.

Blue Jay Restaurant

4154 Hamilton Ave., Northside

The Killing of a Sacred Deer and The Old Man & the Gun: This old-school diner was made a star after it first appeared in the 2017 psychological horror, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, starring Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman and Barry Keoghan. In the film, Blue Jay Restaurant is where the events of the story are put in motion. Farrell’s character, husband, father and heart surgeon Steven Murphy, meets Keoghan’s character, Martin Lang, a boy seeking revenge on Murphy for the death of his father, for the first time. The diner is also in the chilling closing scene of the movie, as Lang walks past the Murphy family, now grieving, haunted and forever changed.

Blue Jay Restaurant returned to the silver screen a year later in The Old Man & the Gun, where Robert Redford and Sissy Spacek’s characters have a meal together. The movie would be Redford’s last. If you visit, you can sit in the same booth where they sat, easily identified by a framed still from the movie.

Pompilios

600 Washington Ave., Newport

Rain Man and Airborne: In the 1988 film Rain Man, before brothers Charlie (Tom Cruise) and Raymond (Dustin Hoffman) take off on their cross-country road trip, they stop for breakfast at what we know as Pompilios. The restaurant serves as the backdrop for the famous “toothpick scene,” where we get to really see the scope of Raymond’s abilities as he accurately counts the number of toothpicks that spilled on the ground while the waitress was trying to hand him one. And the phone booth that Charlie is using is still in the restaurant.

The Italian restaurant welcomed back movie crews for the 1993 skating comedy, Airborne. The movie starred Shane McDermott, Brittney Powell and up-and-comers Seth Green and Jack Black. Pompilios served as one of the locations during a double date with Mitchell (McDermott), Nikki (Powell), Wiley (Green) and Gloria (Alanna Ubach), which goes awry after a confrontation with the rival group of the movie, “the preps.” Pompilios also still has a sign hanging up that the cast and crew signed.

Arnold’s Bar and Grill

210 E 8th St., Downtown

City of Hope, Carol, Marauders, 10 Minutes Gone, Shirley and The Alto Knights: Cincinnati’s oldest continuously operating bar has been featured in several movies throughout the years. The bar first appeared in the 1991 film City of Hope, starring John Sayles, Joe Morton, Vincent Spano and Angela Bassett. In 2020, Arnold’s owner, Chris Breeden, told the Cincinnati Enquirer that the crew left a lighted bunch of grapes as part of the set, which Arnold’s kept up. Likewise, Arnold’s also left up curtains from the set of Carol from a scene featuring Mara and Jake Lacey, who played Richard, sitting at the end of the bar. Crews returned shortly after to shoot 2016’s Marauders, featuring Bruce Willis, Christopher Meloni, Adrian Grenier and Dave Bautista. Arnold’s was transformed into a Mexican cantina for the movie. Arnold’s can also be seen in the 2019 Willis movie, 10 Minutes Gone, as well as Shirley (2024), starring Regina King and Terrence Howard, and The Alto Knights (2025), starring Robert De Niro in two roles as warring crime bosses, Frank Costello and Vito Genovese, in 1950s New York City.

Union Terminal

1301 Western Ave., West End

Superman: While it’s always been a star in our eyes, Cincinnati’s train-station-turned-museum made its debut on the silver screen this past year in the newest Superman movie, starring David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan. Union Terminal fittingly served as the Hall of Justice — a long time coming considering it was the inspiration for the Super Friends’ headquarters. After ABC acquired the rights to DC Comics characters in 1973, they partnered with Hanna-Barbera to adapt the Justice League comic books into a cartoon. Hanna-Barbera background supervisor Al Gmuer was then tasked with creating a “grand headquarters” for the Super Friends, which he then modeled after our landmark, later saying the task of drawing the building gave him nightmares.

Eden Park

950 Eden Park Drive, Walnut Hills

Carol: One of Cincinnati’s oldest parks, Eden Park was transformed into a festive Christmas tree farm for the 2015 movie Carol, starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara. The “shop” in that scene is actually a park bathroom.

Krohn Conservatory

1501 Eden Park Drive, Walnut Hills

Airborne: Eden Park’s Krohn Conservatory was another filming location for Airborne. Mitchell runs into his love interest, Nikki, outside the greenhouse and they decide to go in. The couple strolls through the greenhouse, which is then followed by some pretty cool action shots of Mitchell skating his way along the conservatory’s plant-lined walkways.

Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza

35 W. Fifth St., Downtown

Carol, The Killing of a Sacred Deer and The Alto Knights: Cincinnati’s landmark Art Deco hotel, Netherland Plaza, has been seen in several films. The hotel first served as a stand-in for The Drake in Chicago in Carol, where Carol (Blanchett) and Therese (Mara) stay. The hotel’s Hall of Mirrors can also be seen in The Killing of a Sacred Deer, and its lobby is in the 2025 Robert De Niro film, The Alto Knights.

MainStrasse Village

Covington

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile: Covington’s charming German-inspired MainStrasse Village can be seen in 2019’s Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, the Ted Bundy biopic starring Zac Efron as the notorious serial killer. The street was transformed to appear as Aspen, Colorado, in the ‘70s, complete with vintage cars. You can spot the Covington neighborhood during the scene where Bundy escapes from a courthouse.

Downtown Cincinnati library

800 Vine St., Downtown

The Public: Actor Emilio Estevez, who has never been shy about his love for the Queen City, chose Cincinnati Public Library’s main branch downtown for the setting of his 2018 film, The Public. The movie stars and is directed by Estevez and follows the story of a sit-in by a group of homeless people seeking shelter in a library from a bitter cold snap that devolves into a standoff between the group and police. The movie featured a star-packed cast that included Alec Baldwin, Michael Kenneth Williams, Christian Slater, Gabrielle Union, Jena Malone and Taylor Schilling.

Maury’s Tiny Cove

3908 Harrison Ave., Cheviot

Carol: This Cheviot steakhouse remains untouched by time and appears very much as it did when it first opened in 1949. This made Maury’s Tiny Cove a perfect addition to the ‘50s-set Carol. In the scene, Carol invites Therese to lunch to thank her for finding a pair of Carol’s misplaced gloves. At lunch, Carol and Therese share cigarettes, martinis and infatuated glances across the table as Carol tells Therese about her divorce and invites her to visit her in New Jersey.

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The Yellow Springs Film Festival was back for its third year over the weekend, bringing stars, filmmakers and film lovers together in Yellow Springs to celebrate great storytelling, filmmaking and a collective appreciation of all that goes into it. From the kickoff party featuring a masterful standup set by Saturday Night Live alum Kevin Nealon to a sold-out appearance from writer/director Kevin Smith for a 25th anniversary showing of his cult classic Dogma and panel discussions with creatives like Academy Award-winning production designer Hannah Beachler, the festival featured programming and special guests that rendered the pass from Sundance old news while continuing to establish itself as an event to look forward to year after year.

Keep scrolling for everything we saw during the 2025 Yellow Springs Film Festival.

Photos by Brent Stroud

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