Hollywood Stars Join Forces for New Movie Filmed and Based Entirely in Cleveland; See It This Sunday

CLEVELAND, OH — If you’ve followed Cleve-It To Us on Cleveland 13 News, you know I’m always chasing the stories that capture the true spirit of this city; but nothing prepared me for the depth, humor, and heart behind Lost & Found in Cleveland. It’s not just a film set in our city; it’s a film about our city, created by people who believe Cleveland isn’t just a backdrop, but a protagonist. Spending the day with filmmakers Keith Gerchak and Marisa Guterman was like stepping into the soul of their story, one built over a decade of passion, persistence, and the kind of creative magic that only happens when people really believe in something...and somewhere.

The story behind Lost & Found in Cleveland begins not with a production meeting or casting call, but in a waiting room. Marisa Guterman saw Keith Gerchak across the room during an audition and was struck. “It’s a classic meet-cute,” she told me. “I saw Keith from across the waiting room as actors, and we were kind of drawn to each other as people. I wanted to ask him out on a date, and he said he was spoken for, but I felt like there was a soul connection here.” Instead of romance, a partnership was born when she asked him to write with her. “How about a movie about Antiques Roadshow?” she pitched. His reply? “You’ve got my attention.”

That initial spark grew into a shared vision. Marisa had imagined a story set in the American heartland, and Keith, being a proud Cleveland native, saw no better place. “We say emphatically that the American dream still exists, and that Cleveland is the microcosm,” Keith said. From there, the film took shape not just as a narrative, but as a reflection of Cleveland’s past, present, and potential.

Marisa had been developing the concept since she was 16. Together, they refined it over ten years, weathering every imaginable obstacle. By 2017, they were ready, thanks in large part to Clevelanders who believed in them from the beginning. “We had Clevelanders who invested in this film who stayed with us the whole time,” Marisa said. Chief among them was the Fowler Family. “The Fowlers are kind of unicorns in the city,” Keith told me. “They really believe in entrepreneurialism, they believe in civic pride, and they truly have been the biggest supporters of the film from the very beginning.”

The story might have ended there, but it didn’t. While attending a wedding at the Cleveland Museum of Art, Keith and Marisa ran into Char Fowler, who had one suggestion: they should direct the film themselves. “So, we did,” Keith said. Marisa added that another surprising source of support came from a local women’s book club. “They rallied together, and this book club became one of our biggest investors in the film. They cobbled money together, got their friends, came to the set, came to our wrap party; they were some of our biggest cheerleaders along the way.”

Corporate sponsors, all Cleveland-rooted, also stepped up. Sherwin-Williams, KeyBank, and Discount Drug Mart offered their support and enthusiasm, underscoring how deeply local pride ran through every aspect of the production.

What makes this film truly remarkable is the cast. It’s an ensemble that most indie filmmakers could only dream of: Martin Sheen, Dennis Haysbert, June Squibb, Stacy Keach, Liza Weil, Santino Fontana, Jon Lovitz, Loretta Devine, Dot-Marie Jones, and Mark L. Walberg. When I asked how they managed such a lineup without a major studio, Keith said, “We were also the casting directors. We just went for it.” They wrote the roles for Dennis Haysbert and June Squibb. At one point, they were told by a casting director that Haysbert was “impossible” to get. Then fate intervened.

Just 48 hours before filming began, their original actor for Haysbert’s role had to drop out. In a twist straight out of a movie, their choreographer, Martin Cespedes, was on a call with Haysbert through a friend and asked him directly. Haysbert agreed, read the script on a plane, and called his manager in tears. By Sunday, he was in Cleveland. “This is a role I’ve dreamed of doing,” Haysbert told Keith on set. “Why was it not offered to me?” Keith responded that they had written it for him but were told he’d never do it. “The stars aligned,” Keith said.

June Squibb’s role was also written with her in mind. To play her husband, they sought someone with undeniable chemistry; Stacy Keach, her co-star from Nebraska. Keach agreed on the condition that Squibb would play his wife again. Once Squibb and Keach were on board, the rest of the cast followed.

Though neither Marisa nor Keith appear in the film, Keith did provide the voice for the animatronic President William McKinley, which Marisa claims is one of the biggest laughs in the film. Marisa’s husband also makes a brief appearance, playing the spouse of one of the characters.

The film centers on five distinct Clevelanders, each on a personal journey of purpose, identity, and belonging. There's Charlie, a young boy living beneath the Hope Memorial Bridge, whose quiet resilience anchors the story. Dennis Haysbert plays Marty, a thoughtful mailman from the Hough neighborhood. Stacy Keach portrays Will, a retired steelworker from Slavic Village grappling with legacy and loss. A psychology professor at Case Western, played by Santino Fontana, brings an intellectual vulnerability to the mix. And Liza Weil steps into the role of Sophie, a sharply drawn socialite from Hunting Valley confronting her own emotional reckoning. “We can see ourselves in each of them,” Marisa said.

Behind the camera, editor Tricia Holmes worked entirely from New York. Known for her work on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Tricia had never been to Cleveland during the process. “It actually showed me the city through the eyes of a tourist,” she told me via Zoom. “I relied on Keith and Marisa a lot for that.” Still, her edit made Cleveland a rich, vibrant character in the film. “I’m so psyched for the Cleveland audience to see it and hopefully see themselves in it.”

The film weaves five storylines that converge at a fictional antique appraisal TV show; aptly titled Lost & Found. The characters' personal items act as symbols of their dreams and aspirations. Tricia explained the challenge of balancing so many narratives: “We had to make sure we were continually tracking everybody. We know where everyone is, we’re with everyone emotionally or comically.” She said the film is packed with Easter eggs, little details meant to be discovered on repeat viewings. “There’s so much in the movie that you really need an eagle eye to catch everything,” she said.

The cinematography by Davon Slininger helped bring out what Tricia called “an emotive quality to the city as well as physical intrigue and beauty.” Cleveland’s iconic locations; West Side Market, Malley’s Chocolates, the Arcade, and Playhouse Square; are more than just backdrops, they’re central to the film’s soul. Some scenes were even shot in the Playhouse atrium while actual performances were underway just steps away.

Marisa, who moved to Cleveland in July 2024 with her husband and new baby, said the city surprised her. “The first time I came here, I was shocked. The architecture was overwhelming to me; it’s stunning here. Driving through the Flats, I was like, ‘Wow, this is the American Dream.’ The people here; I really just fell in love with them.”

Keith summed it up best. “People have said, ‘I see myself up there. I see myself in these characters.’ My dream is just as important as anyone else’s, and I see my dream exemplified up there on a 50-foot wide screen.”

The world premiere of Lost & Found in Cleveland took place at the Newport Beach Film Festival, where it sold out both screenings. Now, the film is coming home. It screens Sunday, March 30, at 4:45 p.m. at the KeyBank State Theatre as part of the Cleveland International Film Festival. Tickets are $18 and available at clevelandfilm.org. A wider theatrical release of around 800 theaters is planned for later this year, followed by a streaming debut.

Marisa told me, “There were a lot of critics along the way, but the idea of sharing this with the Cleveland audience on March 30 makes me feel like a little kid counting down to Hanukkah. It’s really exciting.”

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