“We are very proud and thankful to the state of Ohio for the tax film credits to make this possible,” Siewny told the Journal-News.
“The Darker Side” is an action film centered on a 31-year-old female investigative journalist. In her childhood, she was kidnapped by sex traffickers and rescued by a police detective who then adopted her.
Now, as adults, the journalist and detective work together to bring down the same international ring of traffickers with powerful connections, including corrupt judges and politicians.
There will be opportunities in the area for locals to have small parts as extras, according to Siewny.
“We’ve done some location scouting already with scenes that people will certainly recognize,” Siewny said.
There are plans to film at The Windamere at 2 S. Main St., the 12th District Court of Appeals at 1001 Reinartz Blvd. and Whitt Machine Shop at 805 Central Ave.
Siewny, a former doctor, co-produced “Death 4 Dinner,” directed by Read and filmed in Middletown in 2024. They also collaborated on “Heartland Harmony” (2023) and “A Reluctant Heart” (2022).
Dana Schroeder and Cyril O’Reilly, two producers based in Los Angeles, are in talks to work as executive producers on “The Darker Side” with O’Reilly working as director. One of them previously worked on a movie in Middletown.
“We took them around to all these different places here in Middletown, in the area and...absolutely wowed them,” Siewny said. “They like the atmosphere, the can-do attitude and they wanted to come back.”
A total of $46 million was awarded from ODOD for 27 upcoming Broadway, TV, film and documentary productions in Ohio.
These projects are expected to create more than 1,000 new jobs, contribute more than $150 million in eligible production spending and drive $196 million in production-related expenses, according to an ODOD release.
Awards are issued through the Motion Picture Tax Credit Program, which provides a refundable tax credit of 30 percent on production cast and crew wages plus other eligible in-state spending, according to ODOD’s website.
“That’s very attractive to investors,” Siewny said.
The total expected budget for “The Darker Side” is about $850,000.
The tax credit program was created in 2009 to “encourage and develop a film industry in Ohio.”
Applications are reviewed and awarded in two annual rounds, with each round awarding $25 million of the annual $50 million allocation.
“When productions choose Ohio, they put our communities on the global stage,” said Lydia Mihalik, director of the Ohio Department of Development. “Through the Motion Picture Tax Credit Program, we’re telling Ohio’s story to the world while creating new jobs and growing local economies.”
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