Movie filmed in Butler County, featuring Middletown girl releasing today

Freiberg said “Donnybrook” will open on digital and cable on demand on Feb. 22.

“We have been working very hard on getting a copy of the film so that we can offer a local premiere,” said Kristen Erwin Schlotman, Film Cincinnati executive director.

The movie was filmed locally on Central Avenue in Middletown and in Hamilton, Cincinnati, Colerain Twp., and Burlington, Ky.

Among the cast members is Rhyan Hanavan of Middletown, a fourth-grade student at John XXIII. She played the character “Scout,” one of the two children of actor Jamie Bell. This was her first acting role, and she appears in several scenes in the movie.

The movie premiered on Sept. 7 at the Toronto International Film Festival.

This production participated in the Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit Program, according to Film Cincinnati.

“Donnybrook” is writer-director Tim Sutton’s fourth feature film and stars Frank Grillo, Margaret Qualley, James Badge Dale and Jamie Bell.

The hard-hitting drama tells the story of two men, an ex-Marine who struggles to provide for his family and a violent drug dealer with an undefeated fighting record. They are determined to compete in the Donnybrook, a legendary, bare-knuckle cage fight with a cash prize of $100,000.

The movie is 102 minutes long and is rated "R" for disturbing violent and sexual content, drug use, language and some graphic nudity. You can see the trailer here.

The motion picture industry had an economic impact of nearly $80 million in the Greater Cincinnati area in 2017 and 2018, according to a new study by the University of Cincinnati Economics Center.

That study reported that the 11 projects shot in the Cincinnati area in 2017 created 361 jobs, with a total economic impact of $49.1 million and earnings of $10.6 million pumped into the region’s economy. It’s the largest yearly economic contribution that Film Cincinnati projects have made in the non-profit’s 30 years of bringing productions to Cincinnati, according to the organization.

In 2018, movie productions added another $30 million to the Cincinnati area, including 215 added jobs and more than $172,000 in increased income tax revenue to the city of Cincinnati. In the last five years, motion pictures have had an economic impact of $141.9 million, with more than $30 million in added earnings and more than 1,000 new jobs, according to the study.

The Film Cincinnati website also noted that Movie Maker magazine lists Cincinnati on its 2019 list of best places to live and work as a moviemaker. "Cincinnati, described as an 'open-air film set' in last year's list, is becoming booked," the article says.

Where to see “Donnybrook” in Ohio

SOURCE: IFC Films