Filmed in the spring of 2025 in and around Bellefontaine, the movie Union County will return to its roots on Sunday, May 17, at 2:30 p.m., with a screening at the Holland Theatre, followed by a panel discussion with cast and crew members.
The film directed by Adam Meeks and starring Will Poulter and Noah Centineo is free to the public thanks to support from Ohio Goes to the Movies.
Local residents featured in the movie were invited to the Holland premiere. Tickets are no longer available, as the show sold out to the general public within several hours, Holland Theatre officials related.
“We’re both honored and excited to screen Union County here at the Holland. The cross section of great art and local stories in this film is really beautiful, and presenting important material like this is always paramount to our mission,” said Lance Schmidt, Holland executive director.
“We’re thankful to the producers and Ohio Goes to the Movies for making this happen.”
Described by IndieWire as “a love letter to recovery and addicts seeking rehabilitation,” the film follows Cody Parsons (Poulter) on his journey through the county-mandated drug court program.
Union County earned rave reviews and an extended standing ovation following the Sundance Film Festival premiere in January.
The movie features real-life participants in Logan County’s drug court, including counselor Annette Deao, who plays herself.
“The Park City audience cheered loudest for Annette Deao, who has worked as a therapist helping people navigate addiction recovery via this program for more than 20 years,” Variety magazine reports.
The film was just picked up by Oscilloscope Laboratories, the indie distributor founded by Adam Yauch.
“Working with Oscilloscope on ‘Union County’ is an affirmation of the film we made, which aspires to be in conversation with so many of the great independent films they’ve distributed over the years,” Meeks said in a statement included in the Variety magazine article.
“We’re so proud to partner with them to bring this film about community and human connection to cinemas and audiences across the country.”
The movie has a run time of 97 minutes. The panel discussion will include Meeks, a Marysville-born filmmaker now based in Brooklyn and select cast members and will focus on the making of the film.
The Holland is partnering for this event with Ohio Goes to the Movies™, a statewide celebration of films featuring Ohio people, places, and topics. OGTTM is part of state festivities marking the United States’ 250th anniversary.
Additional screenings of Union County at the Holland are planned for the Dutch Tilt Film Festival, which returns to the Holland after a long hiatus from July 24-25. More details and tickets for those events will be available in the months to come.
