Adam Meeks, left, was on set in Bellefontaine Friday morning with cinematographer/camera operator, Stefan Weinberger, for the filming of “Union County.” Meeks, a central Ohio native with ties to Union County, is making the short film, which highlights the effects of the opioid epidemic. The crew will be shooting around Union County and the surrounding area for four days.
(Photo submitted)
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Union County may soon end up on the big screen.
An independent filmmaker with local ties is currently in the area working on a short film that is set in and around the county.
Writer and director Adam Meeks is leading the production that aims to highlight the effects of the opioid crisis in the area.
“I have been living in New York and coming back a lot to visit with family and was struck by how many people there were in the area going through this and in various stages of recovery,” Meeks said. “After heading home, I just felt this desire to keep coming back here and learning about it and how the opioid epidemic has affected the county.”
Meeks is originally from Grandview but has members on both sides of his family living in Union County.
After several family visits, doing research and sitting in on drug courts, Meeks went back to New York to write the script.
“I received a grant called the Emerging Artist Fellowship from the Jacob Burns Film Center in New York. That gave me some funding and resources to make my film,” Meeks said. “So, I decided to come back to Union County and shoot it.”
The film is tentatively titled, Union County, and follows two days in the life of a 25-year old guy recovering from addition. The character is working through his rehabilitation and drug court when an ex-girlfriend reenters his life.
The crew will be filming in Marysville, Bellefontaine and North Lewisburg over a four-day period and when the shoot is over, Meeks said he would take the footage back to New York for editing.
“The goal will be to finish the film and take it around film festivals and hopefully get some web distribution,” Meeks said. “At some point, I also hope to set up a premiere for the film in Marysville.”
Meeks said the film is planned to be finished and ready for screening in October.