Local filmmaker James Gilmore fully intends to nab an Oscar at some point. In the meantime, he’d like to direct your attention to the revitalization going on in his hometown neighborhood.
Gilmore wrote, directed and produced Live. Work. Worship., a documentary that chronicles the history and renewal specific to the Mt. Vernon Avenue area on the east side of Columbus.
“I was born and raised in this neighborhood,” Gilmore says. After obtaining his Bachelor’s from Ohio Dominican, he moved to the west coast to earn a Master’s in TV and Film. He brought his skills home and started his own production group, The November Company, in 2012.
Originally, Gilmore was approached by the Mount Vernon Avenue District Improvement Association to produce a promotional video.
“It grew a little bit bigger than that,” he says. “It grew into a documentary.”
The film covers the foundation of the area in the 20s and highlights some of its historical and political significance.
“Edwards Drug Store has been in the neighborhood for over 80 years,” he says. “When Robert Kennedy was running for office, he came to Edwards Drug Store to campaign.”
The filmmaker’s real focus is on the neighborhood’s reemergence, pointing to the renovation of the Martin Luther King Library and other buildings, as well as new businesses in the area.
“We are pushing the focus on why any person would enjoy living, working or worshipping in this community,” he says.
Live. Work. Worship. premieres at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 10 at the Lincoln Theatre, 769 E. Long St.
Following the film, Gilmore will participate in a panel of Mt. Vernon Avenue entrepreneurs, politicians and business leaders for a discussion on topics relating to the community’s vibrant history, current redevelopment and future prospects.
The event is free to the public.