For three nights, Montrose Street didn’t belong to 2026.

It belonged toa makeshift portal into the 1970s.

Men in black gangster suits and sharp fedoras lingered under streetlights. A vintage Studebaker roared through the brick-lined intersection, fishtailing past alleyways as if something priceless (and dangerous) was at stake. Fog curled around storefronts. Gunshots cracked. Blood packs burst. And long after most of Clermont had gone to sleep, a full-scale film production quietly transformed downtown into the opening scene of an espionage noir (dark) thriller.

The project is called The Nearly Forgotten Incident, and what crews shot this week was a “proof of concept,” a seven- to 10-minute prologue meant to secure funding for the full feature.

The film’s creator, director and producer Kyle Marra, says he knew downtown Clermont, specifically Montrose Street, was the perfect backdrop for his project the minute he saw it.

“This is a period piece,” Kyle says. “We were looking for a town that kind of still looks like it could be stuck in the past, in a way that had the brick streets, the older buildings, just a unique location for an espionage noir thriller.”

Clermont checked every box.

The opening sequence centers on a brilliant doctor who creates something terrifying . . . and valuable.

“The elements that we’re shooting currently focus on a brilliant doctor who’s accidentally created this terrifying invention,” Kyle says. “When he wants to get the funding for what he truly wants to create, nobody’s giving it to him. Except for one dark Black Ops government organization, and back against the wall, he’s willing to offer it, but as he’s in the car with one of them, his conscience takes over.”

That moral tug-of-war belongs to Dr. Okoro, played by Conphidance, an actor with more than 16 years under his belt, having appeared in movies which include Home for Jesus, Save Your Soul, Little America and Invasion on Apple TV.

“My character, Dr. Okoro, is a scientist who comes up with a pill to fix hunger, but in doing so, he realizes this thing also has flaws,” Conphidance says. “He’s not as intrigued to give it away because he’s found the issues with it, but there are some forces that want this thing from him.”

Filming opposite him were seasoned actors Eric Roberts and Jamie Costa as gangsters pursuing the invention. Stunt driver Antony Matos handled the high-speed moments. A handful of other actors, photography, special effects, sound and film crews were also on set. 

A Clermont police officer was also on set and the Police Department was alerted as to filming days and times in case any calls came in about “gun shots” or suspicious activity. 

“I started training in like ‘99,” Antony says of his early stunt work. “I’ve always loved movies… And ever since then, I got the opportunities and I got the work.”

Antony says filming in Clermont felt right.

“I’ve always loved this area and I was like, ‘Man, this would be a great place to shoot some movies. Like, why is it not happening?’ So it’s great that, someone recognized that.”

Sparks, bullet hits and tire blowouts came courtesy of After Dark Effects.

“We do mainly practical effects and pyrotechnics and things like that,” says William Whitehurst.

And their team didn’t just work. they taught.

Aspacia Lindstrom, program director for digital and performing arts at Lake Sumter State College, brought students to serve as production assistants. She’d heard of the filming taking place and contacted those involved. 

“My students got to slate for the actors, for the scenes. They got to hold things. They got to listen with the headsets on. They got to bring snacks to the crew and move barricades around,” she says. “But just even being able to be here and be part of this, I think, has really opened up some of them to the possibility of being able to do this in the future.”

“This is amazing. Magical. Yeah. It’s just really magical.”

Local businesses leaned in, too.

David Corelli of Corelli’s Italian Restaurant made pizza for Eric Roberts.

“Oh yeah, this is great for this town because it’s up and coming,” David says.

The driving force behind bringing the production to Clermont was Natalie Kahler, executive director of Clermont Main Street.

“When I was doing the historic structure survey… one of the surprising things that I found was that Clermont had a history of being in film, going back to the 1920s,” Natalie says.

Natalie, who is friends with Kyle, talked with him while filming part of this very movie in Brooksville where she lives. Then, she realized they were looking for a second location.

“I said, well, I’ve got one. Come to Clermont with me,” Natalie says.

While here, the crew fell in love with the brick streets and  storefronts, but also the people.

“They’ve been so accommodating and really helpful,” Natalie says. “Anytime we can show off Clermont, I think is a win for us as a community.”

As the final shots wrapped at 4am and the Studebaker idled one last time under the streetlights a less than a week ago, Kyle paused to reflect.

“Well, there was definitely a lot,” he says. “It went a little bit longer than expected, but I think, in the end, we’re gonna have something special.”