Jimmy Taaffe takes audiences back to Youngstown in the 1970s with his movie “Brier Hill.”

The movie started as a novel, also written by Taaffe, a Canfield native who now lives in Struthers. The idea came from his fascination with the Mahoning Valley’s organized crime history.

“I always think to myself, it’s amazing that a town with so few people was able to be so corrupt,” Taaffe said. “This isn’t New York or Chicago or Pittsburgh or Cleveland, it’s Youngstown, yet somehow we managed to be such a corrupt city.”

What makes “Brier Hill” unique is that the main character isn’t a mob figure.

“Our main character isn’t a Don Corleone or Tony Soprano, it’s a young girl that has to fight to protect her boyfriend, who is in the mafia, and she’s forced to make a series of decisions that aren’t always pleasant,” Taaffe said. “And a side plot to that is there’s a priest named Father Gallo who gets himself into a little bit of trouble with the law. And of course, that all intertwines with our two main characters of Benny and Taffy.”

Turning the novel into a screenplay was one of the easier tasks. He knew what elements had to be part of the story, and the writing came quickly. Casting also went smoothly.

“One of my lead actors is a kid named Johnny D’Andrea, and John is great,” Taaffe said. “We had worked together on various things. I knew right from the beginning I wanted him to be my leading man. And Pete (Lucic, a retired Trumbull County Sheriff’s Department deputy and former professional wrestler), as soon as he came in to audition, he didn’t even have to say anything, I knew that was my (mob boss) Carmine Mancini. That’s exactly how I had envisioned him.

“We were really lucky in casting, because a lot of the people that showed up to be in the movie, we would kind of look at each other and say, ‘My gosh, they’re perfect.’ It was kind of easy to do that end of it.”

Not as easy was trying to make 21st century Mahoning Valley look like 1977 Youngstown and to do it on a minimal budget. The cast and crew worked for free, so Taaffe spread the 30-day shooting schedule over about a year, working around everyone’s schedules. A cast member broke a rib during shooting, which also caused some delays.

“Our biggest challenge is the movie takes place in 1977,” he said. “That means everything has to be 1977 — the clothes, the telephone, the cars. Everything has to be 1977 and that was kind of difficult, you know? Good luck finding a pay phone … We did the best we could, but you might pick up on a thing or two that was just kind of unavoidable.”

Downtown Leetonia ended up playing Youngstown’s Brier Hill district in the movie because that area has changed so much in the last 50 years, Taaffe said, but they also made a point to include as many local landmarks as possible in order to bring an authenticity to the film.

The cooperation of many people in the community was integral to its completion, particularly Stuthers Mayor Catherine Cercone Miller. Taaffe said when he needed a police chief for a scene in the movie, Struthers Police Chief Tim Roddy volunteered to play the part.

“Everybody went above and beyond,” he said.

Tonight’s premiere at Columbiana Arts Theater, which will be followed by a party at Youngstown’s Varsity Club, is sold out, but a second showing has been added at 7 p.m. Saturday.

As for what happens after this weekend, Taaffe said, “I think we’re going to take a little time and try to sell it to a distribution company, but (eventually) you’ll be able to pick it up on any streaming platform.”

If you go …

WHAT: Premiere of the film “Brier Hill”

WHEN: 7 p.m. today and Saturday

WHERE: Columbiana Arts Theater, 5 N. Main St., Columbiana

HOW MUCH: Tonight’s event is sold out, but tickets for Saturday’s screening are $30 and are available online at www.atthecat.com.