Filmed in Columbus, this movie’s premiere will also debut here with red-carpet event
A year-and-a-half after this faith-based movie was filmed in Columbus, its worldwide premiere will be celebrated here in red-carpet style.
Co-starring and co-produced by Phenix City native Meredith Riley Stewart, “The Greatest Inheritance” is an independent film by Nashville-based Mustard Seed Entertainment. It debuts on digital and video on-demand March 25, plus a dozen theaters nationwide, although none in the Columbus area.
The invitation-only free screening at the National Infantry Museum starts at 7 p.m., preceded by arrivals on the red carpet from 5-6:30 p.m.
Along with Stewart, whose acting credits include roles on episodes of TV shows “Scandal,” “Criminal Minds” and “The Young and the Restless,” the cast features Jeff Schroeder (“Daily Blast Live,” “Big Brother,” “At Your Own Risk”), Leticia Jimenez (“The Fosters,” Seconds Apart,” “Bronx SIU”), Jaleel White (“Family Matters,” “Big Fat Liar,” “Dreamgirls”), Cameron Kelly (“Rosewood,” “Christmas Hotel”) and Mena Suvari (“American Horror Story,” “Chicago Fire,” “American Pie”).
The crew spent 17 days in 2020 filming the movie during the early height of the COVID-19 pandemic at an antebellum home in the Upatoi community of northeast Columbus.
“The Greatest Inheritance” is a family-friendly story about a one-hit-wonder rock star named Kasey. She and her three estranged siblings return home to bury their mother and claim their inheritance. The deed to the estate is hidden on the property, and the first one to find it inherits everything. As they race each other, the scavenger hunt for the deed leads them to a revelation.
“The film deals with the Biblical theme of ‘You can’t take it with you,’” Stewart, a 1997 graduate of Central High School, told the Ledger-Enquirer when she announced the project in 2019, “and also reminds us that our true inheritance in life is not money or an estate but the people that we are blessed to call our family.”
Where to watch “The Greatest Inheritance”
According to the movie’s website, “The Greatest Inheritance” will be available on the following platforms:
- Apple TV
- Vudu
- Amazon Prime Video store (not streaming)
- Google Play
- DirecTV
- Microsoft
- Charter Spectrum
- Verizon
- YouTube
It can be pre-ordered for $12.99 on iTunes.
Anticipating the premiere where she grew up, Stewart told the Ledger-Enquirer in an email, “I’m thrilled to be celebrating the community who supported the making of this film. We could not have done it without the local support. It will be such a treat to thank everyone who played a part in it, both on screen and off. I’m very proud of the movie, and I know everyone who watches it and sees a little glimpse of my hometown will be too.”
The film’s distributor, Vertical Entertainment, has decided to hold a limited release in select theaters nationwide.
“With the pandemic still affecting so much of theaters’ attendance these days, we wanted to make it available to the widest possible audience via Amazon and iTunes,” Stewart said. “This summer, it will be available via Pureflix.”
Local involvement
The film was almost fully financed by local investors, with additional support for production from the Greater Columbus Film Commission, Stewart said. The production’s cast and crew included several local folks:
- Grace Pippas is a supporting actor.
- Her brother, Gabe Pippas, was the gaffer, which means chief lighting technician.
- Springer Film Institute director Sara Lynn Holbrook was the child safety coordinator.
- Kaitlyn Clarke and Georgia Simonds, graduates of the Georgia Film Academy at Columbus State University, also were on the crew.
Peter Bowden, president and CEO of the commission and VisitColumbusGA, told the Ledger-Enquirer in an emailed interview, “It’s always exciting to see a project come full circle, especially with COVID virtually shutting the film industry down. Here’s an example of a producer whose passion was the driver. And not just premiering in Columbus, but on well-known streaming platforms.”
It’s difficult to determine dollar figures for economic impact of local film productions, Bowden said, “but we can say, without a doubt, hotels, food service, other service industries benefited with filming in Columbus.”
Citing confidentiality, Bowden declined to name productions being filmed or scheduled to be filmed in the Columbus area, but he said, “As always, we continue to field a lot of inquiries — a television series, three independent projects, some still in early stages of development, others that continue to work on financing, animation development, adaptation of print to film.”
This story was originally published March 23, 2022 at 10:39 AM.
