“Water’s Edge,” produced by Greg Siewny, is about five friends who go on their yearly high school reunion retreat. At their most recent reunion, the group goes on a hike, and dark secrets start surfacing that challenge the depth and loyalty of their friendship.
Read and co-writer Landon Faulkner came up with the idea for the film, which they wrote with Philip Adrian Booth.
Siewny and Read are local to Middletown, and about 10% of the movie was filmed in the city, according to Siewny.
A majority was filmed in Dayton, Hueston Woods State Park and a private farm in Preble County in Oct. 2024 in the span of 13 days. Journal-News photographer, Nick Graham, photographed a night of filming.
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
“Because it was kind of Dayton based, we decided to go with a Dayton-based theater,” Siewny said of their decision to host the premiere at The Dayton Art Institute.
Last year, Read and Siewny held the premiere of their production “Death for Dinner” at the Sorg Opera House.
“We love the Sorg...we plan on filming a movie there in the future, but it just wasn’t working out for this (premiere),” Siewny said.
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
As for the premiere itself, Siewny said, “I like that it brings Hollywood-level filmmaking to southwestern Ohio. It’s exciting and fun.”
The movie stars Michael Paré (“Eddie and the Cruisers”) and Eric Roberts (“The Dark Knight,” “Runaway Train”).
The event will start at 6:30 p.m. with a meet and greet with the cast and crew, including Paré, drinks, light snacks and photo opportunities. The film will begin at 8 p.m. and after there will be a Q&A session with cast and crew.
“To be able to mingle, ask them questions before and after the film, I think is going to be a lot of fun,” Siewny said.
Tickets for the VIP cocktail hour and the screening are $50 plus a $5.20 fee. The theater can hold 480 people.
Tickets can be purchased at tinyurl.com/WatersEdgePremiere.
In August, an upcoming film production from Siewny and Read called “The Darker Side” was awarded a $205,872 tax credit from the Ohio Department of Development.
It 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.
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.
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