CINCINNATI – "The Public," a movie filmed and set in the Queen City should hit local theaters sometime this spring, according to a report published by Deadline Hollywood.
The online television and film industry website reported on Tuesday that Universal Pictures Home Entertainment Content Group is acquiring the rights to the movie, which was shot in Cincinnati in 2016. Greenwich Entertainment will distribute the film to theaters across the country. An exact opening date has yet to be announced.
Emilio Estevez wrote, directed and produced "The Public." He also plays Cincinnati librarian Stuart Goodson in the movie that tells the story of a group of homeless patrons who takeover the main branch of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County during a brutal winter cold snap.
Estevez's character, along with fellow librarian Myra, played by Jena Malone, end up at the center of a stand-off between the homeless, police and the media after the situation escalates.
Actors Alec Baldwin, Taylor Schilling, Gabrielle Union, Christian Slater, Jeffrey Wright, Jacob Vargas, Michael Kenneth Williams and Che “Rhymefest” Smith also star in the film.
Kristen Schlotman, executive director of the nonprofit Film Cincinnati, is listed as a co-producer in the movie's credits.
"The Public" was first screened at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Jan. 31, 2018, followed by the Toronto International Film Festival in September and the Key West Film Festival in November.
