This weekend, the CEOs of OVRSTND and This Only Happens In Ohio will premiere their long-awaited film “Zero Degrees.” Executive Producer, Wattz, and Film Director, Troy Cherry gave us an exclusive preview for their first movie.
“Zero Degrees” will premiere at the Crosswood Cinema theater on Hutchinson Ave. in Columbus on Friday, Jan. 7th at 7 PM and will be available online at zerodegreesmovie.com the following day for everyone.
Based on real events, the movie tells a story about a young, black man from Columbus who is forced to make bad decisions when life gets hard.
Q & A
What’s the movie about?
Antwan Morgan is the number one player in the country, he comes from a middle-class family and his father is dead. It’s a black man’s perspective about what we go through sometimes- it’s a real drama about love, betrayal, heartbreak, and a lot of people’s loyalty is going to be questioned. I wanted to show that when you live in inner-city neighborhoods, your friends will make different choices than you but you can still love them the same. Throughout the movie, (Antwan) gets hit with blow after blow from life.
Who is Antwan Morgan and why was Uptown DMo the perfect actor for the role?
We both had best friends that passed away six months apart, named Antwan and Anthony Morgan so the character we created is paying tribute to them. D Mo knows them both so we thought he’d be too close. Honestly, we shot the first scene with someone else in the role but we didn’t feel the magic. D Mo has a background in acting so when he brought that energy to the table everybody else fed off of it.
What’s his character like at the beginning versus at the end of the movie?
He’s a hooper. His whole life revolved around basketball. He wasn’t a violent person, but he wasn’t a punk, either. His ability to not back down and be competitive is going to play a big part in this film too.
What inspiration did you take for this film?
My inspirations came from classic movies like Belly and Love & Basketball, but I’m looking at how 50Cent produces his films. There are definitely parts in the movie where you’ll be able to tell that we were inspired by some of those older films.
We’re self-taught with everything. Making this film taught all of us so much.
What kind of vibe did you guys have on set?
We wanted to keep things lighthearted but there were moments on set where we were yelling but still keeping it professional.
What’s been the most rewarding and challenging parts about this process?
I’m proud that we made a movie using our own resources from here, in the city. I’m glad we contributed to the culture in Columbus.
Some of the challenges were putting pieces together like a big puzzle. There’s a lot of players on the football team and everybody has to play their part.
What message do you want to send people through this film?
I want to inspire the next actors, screenwriters, filmmakers. A lot of us focus on the music, and if we could inspire people to get more into this side of things, that’d be what’s up.
Know that the movie is about decisions. And, to anybody that’s been faced with a hard choice, or you’re getting over some stuff from your past, this movie is for you… made by people like you.
Three words to describe the movie?
CLASSIC. CLASSIC. CLASSIC.
Watch The Movie
Available to the public at zerodegreesmovie.com on Jan. 8, 2022.
pressdmag.com 