The 20-minute short film, "The Trial of Everett Mann," is set for release in the spring of 2016.

Mike Gerard read an article online that mentioned two places never to film as a low-budget movie director.Jails were at the top of the list.Ironically, it was the old Carbon County jail on West Broadway in Jim Thorpe that caught his eye while he scouted locations for his latest film, "The Trial of Everett Mann."Film crews from New York-based Kingsbridge Media have been in town all week shooting evening scenes at the site where the suspected "Molly Maguires" were imprisoned while awaiting trial in 1875-1876."We searched the whole country and kind of fell in love with Jim Thorpe," Gerard said. "The history of the jail is just fascinating. This is pretty much the only jail in the country of this age that is still intact. There was a penitentiary in Pittsburgh, but it didn't have the same aura as the Jim Thorpe jail."The crew has been on site from 1-11 p.m. throughout the week.Betty McBride, who owns the Old Jail Museum along with her husband, Tom, said the film company rented the building for the week."It's been really fun watching them work," McBride said. "I find it amazing how they keep doing the same scenes over and over again trying to get them perfect. To the average person, you wouldn't think anything was wrong with the last one, but they keep trying to make it better."The 20-minute film centers on the message of salvation and sacrificial love. Gerard called it "a modern-day parable of the story of Christ."Protagonist Everett Mann is an arrogant, hot-headed man who finds himself on the wrong end of the law. Imprisoned and desperate, with no place to turn, he is forced to put aside his pride and accept his need for salvation, according to the description on the Kingsbridge website.Sean Borderes, currently on break from an off-Broadway play, and Travis Conover play the leads.The role of Everett Mann is such a serious one for Borderes, he wanted to sleep inside a cell at the old jail all week.Instead, he had to settle for spending 80 percent of his working day there."There is such a sense of loneliness and desperation in here," Borderes, a Brooklyn resident, said sitting inside the cell during a dinner break Thursday. "These walls must have so many stories, and you just imagine what it was like to really be here."On Thursday, Borderes filmed a scene where his character is looking outside as preparations are underway for his execution. Like many crew members, this is his first trip to Jim Thorpe."It's a beautiful time to be here," he said. "The colors are amazing. It has a very European feel. If I wasn't acting, I could definitely see myself living here."Following the final day of filming on Friday, Borderes will return to New York and continue his dream career."An actor is constantly looking for work," he said. "I sometimes do 4-5 auditions a day. When you find that really good gig, then you're on vacation."The film will likely be released in the spring."I'd love if we could show it right here in Jim Thorpe," Gerard said. "The town has been wonderful. The people are so accommodating. We've been having a blast."