Film Making Near Me

Cinema Columbus 2026: Sightlines: Documentary Shorts at the Gateway Film Center!

NOTE: This will be an UNHOSTED EVENT. This is just being listed as a fun opportunity to see some great short docs and support this Cinema Columbus event. But, I have a conflict on this day/time, so I’m only 50-50 if I’ll be able to make it. (If I am able to make it, you’ll see me there!) Tentatively listing it as an “un-hosted event.” But, while no official host will be present, you’ll be able to check the RSVP list so you can keep an eye out for fellow CMG’ers and your for Movie Group friends! \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- Join us for a CMG Bonus Event to see five special Documentary Shorts as part of Cinema Columbus 2026! The Cinema Columbus event is now in its 5th year, but this will be the FIRST time the Movie Group will attend! The festival features over 75 feature length and short films shown at a variety of Columbus locations. For our event, we’ll check out the Documentary Shorts section at the Gateway, described below: DESCRIPTION: The 5 documentary shorts explore, “the spaces we inhabit” and why they “matter so deeply.” “The environments we shape mold us. These short visions unearth intimate looks at how physical place informs internal realities.” The Shorts of Ohio includes the following films: \* Elephant Families (15-min), Dirs. Evan Bode & Marvin Wade. A documentary about the resilience of London’s Latin American communities as a wave of regeneration hits Elephant and Castle. \* Prison and Time (7-min), Dir. Elena Escalante. A formerly incarcerated writer speaks about his 25 years in prison and the positive transformation he achieved in spite of, not because of, the criminal legal system around him. \* The Sight Unseen (35-min), Dir. Shawn Antoine II. This documentary explores a writer’s memories and writings, investigating whether a phenomenon experienced in 1971 was divine or a hoax. \* Prettier in Whittier (12-min), Dir. Joe Kowalski. In the town of Whittier, nearly the entire population lives in a single apartment building, bringing new meaning to the idea of getting along with your neighbor. \* Grampy’s Red Rock Rabbit Ranch (32-min) Dirs. Martin Krafft & Laura Asherman. A filmmaker is invited to document her friend’s seemingly idyllic life on an intergenerational farm, but the act of filming becomes entangled with the farm community’s unraveling. PERSONAL INVITATION and Q&A: Martin Krafft, the director of the documentary short Grampy’s Red Rock Rabbit Ranch reached out personally to invite our group to attend! From Martin Crafft: “I'm the director of a short doc, Grampy's Red Rock Rabbit Ranch, having its world premiere at Cinema Columbus Film Festival on September 13th." Martin will be traveling from Berlin, Germany and story co-creator Emily Kleypas, will be traveling from NYC for the premiere and a Q&A after the documentary shorts” and would by “totally honored if the Columbus Movie Group” would attend! PLAN: Please purchase your ticket for the 1:30pm showing on Sunday, September 13th! Recommend arriving in the upstairs lobby area around 1:15pm to meet up with fellow group members. Tickets for this one may move quickly so advance purchase as soon as possible is advised. The total program will be 2-hours. Tickets just $11.57 with no online ticketing fee! You can order yours and find out more about the program here: https://cinemacolumbus.eventive.org/Schedule/6a594d59bc221f005a8b6d48 Hope you can make it, Dan

After Love

***After Love*** (2020) is a British drama written and directed by Aleem Khan in his feature-length directorial debut. The film stars Joanna Scanlan as Mary Hussain, a white English woman who converted to Islam after marrying her Pakistani husband, Ahmed. After Ahmed dies suddenly, Mary makes a shocking discovery: her husband had been living a secret double life with another family just 21 miles away, across the English Channel in Calais, France. As Mary begins to uncover the life she never knew about, the film explores grief, love, betrayal, identity, faith, and the question of how well we can ever truly know another person. ***After Love*** is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

Discount Tuesday: PRACTICAL MAGIC 2 at Cinemark Stoneridge!

Join us for a Discount Tuesday event to see the supernatural-romantic-comedy, PRACTICAL MAGIC 2! This a light and fun follow-up to the 1998 original stars Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Dianne Wiest, Stockard Channing and Joey King. Here are descriptions, trailers and our plan for this event: DESCRIPTION: This romantic-fantasy follows a family of witches, cursed to be loveless for centuries, as they attempt to break the spell. It is directed by Susanne Bier and is based on the 2021 novel The Book of Magic by Alice Hoffman. The film stars returning cast members Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Dianne Wiest, and Stockard Channing, along with Joey King, Lee Pace and Maisie Williams. FEATURETTE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GeVmTia6VA PLAN: Details confirmed! Please purchase your ticket for the 7:05pm showing and meet inside the theater lobby at 6:456pm! Tix just five bucks and advance purchase advised! Once you have yours, please list your seat number in the Comments below! Pre-show bite at 5:30pm at nearby El Vaquero! Look forward to seeing you there, Dan

Palm Springs

Palm Springs follows two strangers who meet at a wedding and suddenly find themselves trapped in an endless time loop, reliving the same day over and over. As they navigate this strange reality, their relationship evolves in unexpected ways, blending sharp comedy, romance, and a touch of sci‑fi. The movie is available on Disney+/Hulu and can also be found on YouTube. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9L3E_MuVlGk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9L3E_MuVlGk) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDIh0Z8cM5k&t=3642s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDIh0Z8cM5k&t=3642s)

CMG Special Event: MANHATTAN SHORT FILM FESTIVAL at the Gateway Film Center!

\* One World \* One Week \* One Festival \* Join us as we get together for a CMG special event and fun annual tradition: THE MANHATTAN SHORT FILM FESTIVAL! If you haven’t attended with us before, you’ll LOVE it! (And if you have attended before you probably already signed up!) This event showcases 10 short films selected from hundreds from around the globe! We'll view each of this year’s 10 short film finalists back-to-back then cast our ballots to help pick this year’s winner! Afterwards, we’ll get together for a bite, a drink and to chat about the shorts! Here are complete details for this year’s event: ABOUT THE FESTIVAL: THE MANHATTAN SHORT is the only event of its kind! This year’s Ten Finalists will screen across the world during a one-week period. Finalists are selected from hundreds of films submitted from across the globe with the winner determined by ballots cast by the audiences in each participating venue. Winning films will be announced after the festival and I’ll send an announcement to the group! All of this year’s finalists will be eligible in the Short Film categories at the 2026 Academy Awards. THIS YEAR’S FINALISTS: This year is extra special because for the first time in its history MANHATTAN SHORT has selected ten films from ten different countries, with films from USA, Ireland, Australia, South Africa, United Kingdom, Moldova, Russia, Cuba, Georgia and Mexico! Films include everything from comedy to drama, action to animation, and everything in between! 2026 TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOdETuNe6E0 2025 MANHATTAN SHORT WEBSITE + DETAILS: Click here for more information about this one-of-a-kind festival and to learn more about his year’s finalists: https://www.manhattanshort.com/finalists.html PLAN: We’ll plan for mid-afternoon showing and will meet in the upstairs lobby about 30 minutes before showtime! We always bring a big group and previous events have sold out, so advance ticket purchase as soon as possible via the GFC website is advised! If seat numbers are assigned, please list your seat number in the Comments section for this event. Afterwards, don’t miss joining us for the always-fun post-show conversation, food and drinks at nearby Cazuela’s Mexican Grill! PARKING: Close, convenient parking is available in the garage located behind the theater! Access the garage through 9th or 11th Avenues, near High Street. Get your parking validated at the box office for just $2 and your covered for the night. Can't wait, Dan

Drunken Philosophy: "What is Art?"

Welcome to Drunken Philosophy, a casual, curious, social discussion club. Come grab a drink and a seat at The Oracle. Optional Discussion Questions * Defining Art: Plato viewed art as an imitation of reality—can art even be objectively defined, or is it entirely subjective? * Artist vs. Audience: Arthur Danto suggests art is defined by its interpretation within the "artworld." Who ultimately decides what counts as art—the creator, the critic, the viewer, or society? * Limits of Art: Duchamp’s "Fountain" challenged our boundaries of art. Can anything—even ordinary objects or actions—become art? * Art and Meaning: Kant argued true art should evoke "disinterested pleasure." Does art need to have a message or deeper meaning, or can it exist purely to please aesthetically? * Art for the Masses: According to Benjamin, mass-produced art (film, photography, digital media) can democratize culture. Does widespread accessibility improve art or diminish its value? * Art and Truth: Heidegger suggests art reveals hidden truths about existence. Has an artwork ever fundamentally changed how you understand the world? Can a work of art change the way an entire society views the world? * Art and Emotion: Tolstoy believed the purpose of art is to transfer emotions. Must art evoke emotion to be valid? * Cultural Impact: How do cultural backgrounds influence our definition of art? Could something be art in one culture but not in another? * Art and Skill: Does art require technical skill or craftsmanship? Should a portrait of a crude person be painted crudely? * Art Museums: Are museums gatekeepers of culture, preservers of history, or something else entirely? What role do art museums serve? * NFT Art: Does art lose its value or authenticity if it only exists digitally? * Moral Art: Should art strive to morally improve us as Plato and Tolstoy argued, or should it be free from moral duties, as Wilde proposed? * Beauty and Meaning: Can art still be meaningful if it isn't traditionally "beautiful"? What qualities might make an artwork significant beyond aesthetic beauty? * Rejection of New Ideas: Why do new artistic ideas often face initial rejection? Are groundbreaking works inherently challenging to accepted tastes, or is rejection more about comfort and familiarity? \#\# Additional Thought Experiments \#\#\# 1\. The Found Object If an artist presents an everyday object—like a urinal or a banana taped to a wall—in a gallery, does this automatically transform it into art? 2\. AI Art Can art created by artificial intelligence truly be considered "art"? Does the absence of human intention diminish its artistic legitimacy? 3\. The Invisible Artwork Imagine an exhibition showcasing an "invisible" artworkan empty space labeled as art. Does such a piece hold artistic value or communicate meaningful ideas? 4\. Time\-Traveler’s Art Would classical artists like Leonardo da Vinci or Michelangelo recognize modern abstract or conceptual art as meaningful, or dismiss it entirely? 5\. Beauty vs\. Innovation Consider two artworks—one aesthetically pleasing yet conventional, another innovative but visually unpleasant. Which has greater artistic value, and why?

Shut Up & Write!™ Easton Town Center

We'll meet at The Capital One Café, 167 Easton Town Center, Space A-103. This is in the main mall where the Microsoft store used to be, on your left if you're standing at the bottom of the AMC Theater escalator. Join us on Saturday for an hour of uninterrupted wordmaking! • What we'll do Join us for an hour of writing! We’ve discovered that it’s strikingly helpful to write with other writers. See if it’s true for you at 10AM on Saturday mornings. Be it a book, blog, script, essay, dissertation, resume, melody, poem or just plain work stuff, you are invited to write it with us. No one will see what you've written or give you unsolicited advice. Instead of just thinking about writing, come and get some real writing done. SCHEDULE: 10:00 - SESSION 1: quick intros. 10:10 - timer starts: write for 1 hour. 11:10 - chat / take off / keep writing. OPTIONAL SOCIALIZING happens at 11A-11:30ish. Writing is very solitary. Connecting (and sometimes even commiserating) with other writers is a cool thing. BEING LATE IS OKAY: just show up and get settled, then check-in with me after the session. (I’ll be the person with the Shut Up & Write! sign.) If you were on time, please be willing to make room for the friendly latecomer. Happy writing and I look forward to seeing you! • What to bring Whatever you need to be able to write! Bring earbuds/earplugs if you want to block noise or the occasional conversation by other patrons. Electrical outlets are limited, so charge your devices before whenever possible. See you at The Café on Saturday!

Columbus Mastering the Art of Character Immersion

If you have ever been curious about how to bring a character to life on the tabletop or in a live action setting, this masterclass is for you. We are getting together in Columbus to break down the techniques behind effective character immersion. Whether you are a veteran player looking to refine your portrayal or someone new to the hobby who wants to feel more confident in a costume, this session will focus on the practical side of developing a persona that feels grounded and consistent. We will spend our time covering physical presence, voice work, and the mental framing required to stay in character when things get hectic. This is a low-pressure environment meant for shared learning, so expect a mix of brief demonstrations and open discussion. We want to help you build a toolkit that makes your next experience more engaging for both you and the people you play with. If you are interested in joining us, please grab a spot on the RSVP list so we can get an accurate headcount for the space. [\[RSVP Online Now\]](https://marycarter7498.com/product)

Columbus City Sparks Virtual Speed Dating

\*\*❤️‍🔥 Columbus Virtual Speed Dating – Hosted, Curated & on Zoom\*\* [\[Click Right Here\]](https://elizabethgarcia5352.com/product)

Candle making and lunch

Speak Easy (Storytelling)

The topic for September is "Pets." Speak Easy: true stories, told live. The idea is simple: an audience, an open microphone, and great stories. Hilarious, gripping, poignant- it's up to you. Audiences are invited to come to listen or come to tell as folks from all corners of Columbus offer their stories live on stage! Held at Wild Goose Creative's warm, intimate space, this night of tales occurs on the 3rd Thursday of every month. Doors open at 6:30 pm, show starts at 7:00 pm. Please arrive early if you want to tell, as we generally only have room for a limited number of tellers, and the sign-up sheet has a tendency to fill up fast. Formed around the idea that people need stories--they're what hold and draw us together--SpeakEasy celebrates the strangeness and commonness of being human. And in a world of smartphones, Facebook, Twitter, and more . . . it gives people a real, breathing, in-person way to connect. The night is geared for true stories of all kinds, taking the best tales told around kitchen tables, in darkened pubs, on the street corner, and at late-night parties and giving them an audience. Speak Easy is also a great outlet for performers, writers, and artists looking to share their favorite stories and perfect their skills. We strongly encourage tellers to please tell the story rather than read it so we keep within the spirit of good storytelling and stay engaged with the audience. All are welcome. Hang around after the show for a drink and build community!

TINYACO Creative Writer's Salon