The Athena Cinema to host Ohio Goes to the Movies event with special guest Robin Smith

On March 29, 2026, the Athena Cinema will celebrate Ohio Goes to the Movies (OGTTM) with a special event screening of two documentaries by Ohio University alumna Robin Smith entitled “He’s Only Missing” and “Letting Go.” 

OGTTM is a statewide program that aims to showcase Ohioans through the world of film, including actors, directors, writers, composers, locations and topics. This event began in February 2026 and will continue to run through October 2026 in all 88 counties of the state, equating to approximately 250 days of Ohio movies showcased. This goes hand in hand with the celebration of the United States of America’s 250th anniversary by looking back on how Ohio movie making has contributed to the country’s film industry. The movies that will be screened include independent films, Hollywood blockbusters and industrial/special interest films. 

This is the first statewide film festival of this size to take place in the country, and the Athena Cinema is excited to be part of the celebration. 

The Athena’s OGTTM event will take place on Sunday, March 29, which is also known as National Vietnam War Veterans Day. Smith, who is an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, will introduce two powerful films chronicling her family’s search for answers about the fate of Colonel Robert N. Smith (USMC) whose plane was shot down over North Vietnam in 1969. A reception with the filmmaker, a graduate of Ohio University (BFA '72) will begin at 6 p.m., with the two short film screenings at 7 p.m. and a conversation with Robin Smith to follow. 

Film Synopses 
“He’s Only Missing” (1978)
This film explores the “state of limbo” Smith and her family were experiencing not knowing if their loved one was dead or alive.

“Letting Go” (1995)
Two decades later the first shred of information about what had happened emerged. Smith traveled with a CBS News crew to her father’s crash site in Vietnam and uncovered answers that had eluded the family for years.

About the Speaker
Robin Smith is an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker with 48 years of professional experience. A graduate of Ohio University (BFA ’72) and the School of Public Communication at Boston University (MS ’78), her first documentary was a personal story about her father, a fighter pilot declared Missing in Action in 1969 during the Vietnam war. CBS bought rights to the film, and in 1978 and she began a career in broadcast journalism on CBS News Sunday Morning with Charles Kuralt.

In 1990, she established a nonprofit production company to collaborate with educators, artists, and innovative program leaders in the creation of documentary shorts and public awareness videos. Examples of video|action’s award-winning work can be found at www.videoaction.org.

Smith is currently a member of the Chaddock + Morrow College of Fine Arts Leadership Council and a Trustee on the Ohio University Foundation Board.

For more information about Ohio Goes to the Movies, visit ohiogoestothemovies.org or follow the program on Instagram at @ohiogoestothemovies.

For tickets and more information about this event, visit athenacinema.com/ohiogoesrobinsmith