CLEVELAND, Ohio — Picture a nearly year-long film festival stretching from Cleveland to Cincinnati, Toledo to Youngstown, with each film tied to Ohio in some way. Some connections are well-known — Paul Newman, Halle Berry, the Russo Brothers. Others might surprise you: Woody Harrelson (raised in Lebanon), Steve Carell (a Denison University grad) and Youngstown’s own Warner Brothers.

Celebrating those ties is the vision behind Ohio Goes to the Movies , an ambitious effort to bring 280 free screenings (and counting) to all 88 counties in 2026. Each film will showcase Ohio-born-and-bred talent in front of and behind the camera.

“Nothing on this size or scale has ever been attempted,” said program director Molly Kreuzman.

The idea goes back to 2003, when Stephen George was overseeing the

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