Ohio-born filmmaker Wrion Bowling to debut film shot in Akron

What would you do if you were forced to live in a bomb shelter with five strangers for over a year? Filmmaker Wrion Bowling ponders on just that in his first film, Shelter, which will make it Akron debut this month.

“We became interested in the day-to-day lives of people trapped in one room with no privacy,” Bowling told akronlife. “What routines they would develop, what social norms would fade away and how they stay sane and spontaneous in an environment that doesn't change.”

Making its premiere last month at the Ohio Independent Film Festival in Cleveland, the film is a science fiction-themed picture filmed entirely on location in Akron. Bowling and his collaborator Adam Caudill both hail from the state, though Bowling currently lives in New York.

“By shooting in Akron, we were able to recruit family and friends to help us build the set, cook food for the crew one day, or let the out-of-town actors crash at their place for a few weeks,” he said. “We couldn't have done it without dozens and dozens of favors from our family, friends and crew.”

Akron Film+Pixel will be hosting a special screening of Shelter on Saturday, June 23 at 8:30 P.M. at the Summit Artspace in Akron, OH. The screening is open to the public with a reception to follow. Bowling and Caudill will both be in attendance at the film screening along with production designer Amy Spencer.

“Throughout the post-production process we showed early cuts to family and friends for feedback, and the one consistent note from everyone is that the film is compelling,” Bowling said. “Once you're 10 minutes in you forget about going to the bathroom or getting more popcorn, and you just want to know what happens next.”