SAHKANAGA, will be shown at Chattanooga's Carmike Majestic 12, running Oct. 12-18. Inspired by the Tri-State Crematory scandal, the film imagines this event from the perspective of a teenager who stumbles upon the first body.
Synopsis: In 2002, over 300 bodies were discovered on the property of the Tri-State Crematory in the Appalachian foothills of northwest Georgia, thrusting an unassuming, tight-knit community into the international spotlight. SAHKANAGA (meaning Great Blue Hills of God in Cherokee, pronounced “sock-uh-nogga”) imagines this event from the perspective of Paul, a teenager who stumbles upon the first body. Matters are further complicated by his father’s ownership of the local funeral home, and the arrival of Lyla, a beautiful stranger whose recently deceased grandfather is the first corpse that Paul finds. Shot in Walker County, with a cast of local, non-professional actors (many of whom had a direct connection to the real-life scandal), the tension mounts as Paul is entangled in his own secrets, and the entire community faces the complexities of forgiveness in the wake of an unfathomable tragedy.
Directed by: John Henry Summerour
Produced by: Tara Anderson, Beth Neuhoff, Krista Seckinger, John Henry Summerour & Miky Wolf
Starring: Trevor Neuhoff, Kristin Rievley, Jace Flatt, Sharon Huey, Chip Jones, Laura Maynard,
Charles Patterson Jr. & Rhea Thurman
Running time: 80 minutes
Awards:
Oglethorpe Award for Excellence in Georgia Cinema - Georgia Film Critics Association
Jury Award Best Narrative Feature - 2012 San Francisco Independent Film Festival
Audience Award Best Narrative Feature - 2011 Atlanta Film Festival
Koroni Film Award for Public Health - 2011 Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival
Jury Award Best Narrative Feature - 2011 Rome International Film Festival
TheFilmSchool’s Great American Storyteller Prize - 2011 Tacoma Film Festival
Publicity contact is John Henry Summerour - john@sahkanaga.com - cell: 917 584-3390