MANSFIELD — Heart of Ohio Films, a Mansfield film company, has announced its full-feature film, The Final Contestant, has been picked up by Amazon Prime.
The movie, written by Kelby King of Mansfield, is a family-friendly film that follows three individuals who are each victimized by bullying, and who eventually find the strength to overcome.
Prime Video, along with Fawesome TV, are the first two streaming platforms to pick up the film.
“We are excited to see the film begin to hit streaming platforms,” said King, co-wwner of Heart of Ohio Films. “We began working on this film a few years ago with the sole intent of drawing attention to the challenging issue of bullying, especially in schools.”
The film currently holds a rating of 9.3/10 on IMDb. IMDb is a comprehensive resource and trusted source for movies, TV shows, and other entertainment content and provides a vast database of cast and crew details, plot summaries, user and critic reviews, ratings, and more.
“We know this rating will fluctuate, however, it’s reassuring to know that people out the gate find the film both favorable and relatable,” Kind said.
The film features local and professional actors who bring the story to life. American former professional boxer, Buster Douglas, also made a brief appearance in the film.
The three main leads, all from Ohio, are Angela K. Baker of Gates Mills, Breckelle Miller of Mansfield, and Melakyi Joseph of Columbus.
“We attracted the interest of actors from Los Angeles to Pennsylvania for this film, which surprised us,” said Kimberly Miller, co-owner of Heart of Ohio Films. “We weren’t sure how the actors would feel about playing a bully, and to be honest, it bothered several of them. By the end of filming, however, they expressed gratitude for being able to participate in something so impactful. We couldn’t have told this story without them.”
The Final Contestant was directed and produced by Little Chicago Pictures out of Louisville, Ky., an award-winning film and video production company. Heart of Ohio Films has recently connected with a movie and book distributor in West Virginia who is working closely with other streaming platforms.
“We are hopeful that more platforms will pick the movie up,” Miller said.
King said the interest in the local film industry is growing, especially in Mansfield.
“I think it’s great that films coming out of little ole Mansfield have made their way to bigger streaming platforms,” she said. “The more this particular movie is available and streamed, the more impact we feel it can make. If it helps one person victimized by bullying, then it’s all been worth it.”
Heart of Ohio Films plans to make the movie available to schools. Several local schools, as well as schools in the Columbus area, have expressed interest. Crestline Exempted Village School District, one of the main filming locations for the movie, has made it accessible for students.
“Some of our teachers at Crestline have played the movie in their classrooms,” said James Saxer, superintendent of Crestline Schools. “Our students loved the message of the film, and I believe it had a very positive impact. It made them stop and think. It was great to have some of our students and staff featured in the film.”
Heart of Ohio Films hopes to have a local screening of the movie this summer.
