Cincinnati has a foothold in the film industry Cincinnati is a hidden gem in many ways, but we’re also no stranger to the limelight. Thanks to Film Cincinnati, Cincinnati has really become a premier spot for shooting movies, especially within the last 15 years. We’ve hosted Oscar winners like Rain Man and Traffic and stars like Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett, Mark Ruffalo and hometown boy George Clooney. These opportunities, big and small, have provided work for local actors and brought an economic impact of $258 million and nearly 2,000 jobs between 2019 and 2022. There are also organizations here that host their own film festivals, like the Cindependent Film Festival and the Over-the-Rhine Film Festival. We’ve been preparing for something like Sundance for a long time, and we’re ready. Photo: Bryan Houston

Two new films that were produced and shot in Northern Kentucky are getting praise and international acclaim as they make their way around the film festival circuit this summer.

McVeigh, which is about Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in June, and Dandelion, the story of a Cincinnati singer-songwriter who goes on an artistic journey to find her true voice after falling in love, has premiered at several film festivals, including the Cleveland International Film Festival, the Chicago Critics Film Festival and the Nashville Film Festival.

“Having independent films like McVeigh and Dandelion shoot in Greater Cincinnati shows that we have the talent, crew and locations that can serve any production, no matter the budget,” Kristen Schlotman, president and CEO of Film Cincinnati, said in a press release. “We’re excited to watch these two movies find their audiences, not just in this country but internationally as well.”

McVeigh, written by Alex Gioulakis and Mike Ott, who also directs, stars Alfie Allen as the Army veteran who bombed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in 1995, killing 168 people and injuring over 700 others. Of the film, Deadline’s Damon Wise writes, “Alfie Allen impresses in this chilling account of the radicalization of the Oklahoma bomber. … McVeigh does have something new to say about radicalization, that it’s not about religion or race or mental illness but a way to fill an empty vessel.”

Dandelion was written and directed by Nicole Riegel. It stars KiKi Layne, best known for her role in Oscar-winner If Beale Street Could Talk, as the titular character, Dandelion, and Thomas Doherty from the Disney Channel original movie Descendents 2 and TV’s Gossip Girl as love interest Casey.

“[Dandelion] is filmed in an artful way that tunes into … sensations and feelings — not just at moments of outright drama, but also the many notes in between,” Nicolas Rapold wrote for the New York Times. “In the end, Dandelion feels like one artist’s emotional prequel, leaving us wishing for even more.”

McVeigh is currently not in theaters, but Dandelion is playing at Newport on the Levee’s AMC Theater, Esquire Theatre, AMC West Chester 18, Regal Deerfield Town Center and AMC CLASSIC Hamilton 8.

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This article appears in Jul 10-23, 2024.

Katherine Barrier is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati’s journalism program and has nearly 10 years of experience reporting local and national news as a digital journalist. At CityBeat, she...