2011 Sundance Predictions: John Henry Summerour’s Sahkanaga

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#41. Sahkanaga – John Henry Summerour

Of the several IFP Narrative Lab and Lab Fellows mentioned on this list of 50, it’s director, writer, producer NYU’s Tisch grad John Henry Summerour’s Sahkanaga that is the sort of film that is closest to the festival’s mandate if I go by what I read here. A project that has been gestating for a while now, took shape out of some basic interviews, followed by a short film going by the title of Chickamauga, and then into a feature — the sort of low-budget, non-actor, Super 16mm film that could perhaps secure a birth in the very popular NEXT section.

Paul, a teenager in rural Georgia, throws out his sister’s kitten. When he’s forced to search for the cat, he stumbles upon a gruesome discovery in the woods. If he tells the truth, he risks exposing his parents who run the local funeral home, and losing Lyla, a beautiful outsider spending the summer in Sahkanaga. But if he keeps the secret, he risks destroying much more.

* Producers: John Henry Summerour and Miky Wolf
(IONCINEMA.com Preview Page // IMDB Link)

 
Eric Lavallée
Eric Lavalléehttps://www.ericlavallee.com
Eric Lavallée is the founder, CEO, editor-in-chief, film journalist, and critic at IONCINEMA.com, established in 2000. A regular at Sundance, Cannes, and Venice, Eric holds a BFA in film studies from the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema. In 2013, he served on the narrative competition jury at the SXSW Film Festival. He was an associate producer on Mark Jackson’s "This Teacher" (2018 LA Film Festival, 2018 BFI London). He is a Golden Globes Voter, member of the ICS (International Cinephile Society) and AQCC (Association québécoise des critiques de cinéma).

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