Local film ‘Angel Mine’ premieres in Columbiana
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COLUMBIANA -- July 3 would never be the same for Struthers native Jimmy Taaffe. That is the day his wife passed away in his arms, the result of an undiagnosed heart defect.
A year later, on a 9-hour train ride to New York City he would meet a woman also grieving the loss of her husband on July 3.
A coincidence? They wondered.
The grief of his wife's passing and the relationship that developed on the train all became experiences he would later write about in a novel that would then be adapted into a movie.
On Saturday, the premiere of the movie, "Angel Mine" was held at the Columbiana Cultural Collective.
The film was shot in and around the Columbiana area and in New York City last year.
The film was directed by Josh Menning, who first met Taaffe and his late wife Kristy at a bridal show. Taaffe and his wife were both working as professional photographers at the time.
"If anybody knows Kristy she was very bubbly and super happy. She was just a wonderful person," Menning said.
Taaffe said he was able to preview the movie a week before the premier and that watching it was a very strange and "incredibly emotional" experience.
He specifically credited the acting performance of actress Meggie Jenny who plays Kristy in the film.
He said that Jenny's portrayal of his late wife was spot on, and that she was able to capture Kristy's sense of humor.
"I wrote the book almost as a form of coping with grief. I wrote away my grief. Before I knew it I had a book," Taaffe said.
Taaffe's character in the movie is played by Ted Emporellis, a Boardman native. The woman he meets on the train, known as JuJu, is played by Cleveland native Angela Cole.
Emporellis and Cole have both appeared in Menning's earlier films and currently live in Los Angeles.
Columbiana Mayor Rick Noel said the city is honored to once again have a Mennings Films premiere.
"It brings the community together for a great purpose and adds vibrancy that is so important to our downtown," Noel said.
Columbiana City Manager Lance Willard said he is thankful for not only Menning's desire to work in and around the city on his films, but also the community's support of the local theater.
"It is great to have Josh Menning here with yet another premier. He is so talented, and he gives us a sense of community pride to know that he continues to highlight the surrounding communities in his work. I think the last year has proven that our community has supported the theater, because there have been many successful events. We are so thankful that the Kufleitner's have made all this possible by providing us with a short-term solution to ownership of theater. We now must work as a community to secure it long term and we look forward to working with the Cultural Collective to do so," Willard said.
Erich Offenburg of the Columbiana Cultural Collective said the group is thrilled to be supporting local films.
"We are thrilled to have another red carpet premier here tonight. We have a lot of great local things that happen here in this building," Offenburg said.
In addition films, the theater is also a venue for live plays and live bands.
The Vindys, a local band that has two songs featured in the movie "Angel Mine" put on a live performance just prior to the start of the show Saturday evening.
"We are very excited and very honored to be a part of it," The Vindys lead singer Jackie Popovec said of the movie.
Menning said "Angel Mine" will be optioned to PureFlix and a few other main distribution services in addition to being available on Amazon, Google Play, Vudu, and others.
"This film is about heartbreak, hope, inspiration and perseverance. I hope that no matter where you are in life, there is something in there for you. A huge thanks to the city of Columbiana. They have been so awesome to work with," Menning said.
More information on the theater can be found online at www.columbianacturalcollective.com