Film & Media

The Cherokee Office of Economic Development (COED), in partnership with the Cherokee County School District’s (CCSD) Audio/Video Technology and Film (AVTF) educators, recently announced the winners of the 5th annual Cherokee Student Film Festival as part of a live screening and awards presentation held on April 28, 2023.

Student films were screened on the Jumbotron as over 200 audience members cheered on a record 25 groups of student filmmakers from across the county. Watch the winning videos here. Here are the winners!

COMPLETE LIST OF 2023 CHEROKEE STUDENT FILM FESTIVAL WINNERS

I’m not a Psychopath (Winner: Best of Show, Best Use of Prop, Best Cinematography, Best Sound Quality, Best Use of Line & Audience Choice Award)

Sequoyah High School

Created by: Ava Roberts, Lauren Turnage, Noah Popp & Justin Clark

The First Day of Spring (Winner: Runner Up Best of Show & Best Use of Line)

Creekview High School

Created by: Chloe Feibus, Jackson Estapa & Logan Carr

Bound (Winner: 3^rd Place Best of Show)

Etowah High School

Created by: Marissa Migneco, Sophia Berry & Kaili Phillips

Growing Older (Winner: Audience Choice Award)

Sequoyah High School
Created by: Aidan Murphy & Kayla Murphy

The Movie (Winner: Audience Choice Award)

Cherokee High School

Created by: Hunter Tadin, Hunter Schwartz, Mackenzie Glover & Daniel Reilly

The “Filmed in Cherokee” Mobile App offers an interactive experience that takes users on a behind-the-scenes tour of fan-favorite film locations. Developed in partnership with Woodstock-based digital product design and development agency Black Airplane, the Filmed in Cherokee App features on-set photos, insider stories, and fun facts on why each film location was selected.

Once downloaded, users can learn about each film’s storyline through bonus, behind-the-scenes content, discover tips for connecting with Cherokee’s film community, and snap a selfie while visiting the locations of these fan-favorite movie and tv productions:

• American Made
• Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk
• Champion
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul
• Doctor Sleep
• Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings
• Hidden Figures
• MacGyver
• Noelle
• Ozark
• Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made
• The Founder
• The Outsider
• The Resident

The “Filmed in Cherokee” App is available to download for free on Google Play or through the Apple App Store.

Creative by design. Collaborative by nature. Cherokee by Choice.

Not only do Cherokee’s stunning vistas and eclectic cities make excellent locations for your next film project (as they did for 27 in 2017 alone), but they provide a great place for your creative team to live, work and play. Just ask any one of our incredible industries, like adidas or YANMAR, who found Cherokee’s sustainability, greenspace, infrastructure, and proximity to Atlanta to be wins on their checklist of must-haves. Whether it’s a post-production suite, animation studio, sound stage, or a writer’s room you have in mind, Cherokee’s visionary and collaborative approach to economic development makes it the ideal place to take your project from dream to reality. Cherokee is the choice.

Sector Support

• Georgia offers a tax incentive of up to 30 percent of production expenditures occurring in the state.
• Close proximity to Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson International Airport, which offers direct flights to over 150 domestic and 70 international destinations
• Cherokee County Airport is able to accommodate private jets.
• Georgia has one of the deepest, most affordable and experienced crew bases in the country with more than 1,000 production suppliers and support vendors.
• Much of Cherokee County is within the 30-mile radius “bubble” emanating from the State Capitol
• More than 11,700 workers in the Cherokee County Market Area are employed in the Film and Media Industry
• The Film and Media Industry is projected to grow by 9.5 percent between 2017 and 2022 in the Cherokee County Market Area.
• Cherokee is a great place to live, work and play

Educated Workforce

Making sure that our current and developing workforce are camera ready.

• 42 percent of residents in Cherokee County hold an Associates degree or higher and 24 percent of residents hold a bachelor’s degree or higher.
• Chattahoochee Technical College offers degrees, diplomas and technical certificates in design and media production technology and television production technology, Reinhardt University offers a Bachelor of Arts in Digital Film and Video, and Kennesaw State University offers a minor in Film Studies, with an emphasis on screenwriting
• All 6 high schools in Cherokee County have broadcast media production classes.

Sites and buildings for your project are ready and waiting.

Choosing Cherokee’s experienced Camera Ready Community means you can expect:

• Complimentary assistance with locations and scouting
• Cherokee’s accommodating and fluid permitting process
• Coordination with Off Duty Police, EMS, Traffic Control, Fire or other safety personnel
• Assistance in locating basecamp options, dining facilities, or other production related needs

For assistance, please contact Molly Mercer Camera Ready Liaison · 770-345-0600 (Office) · 770-378-6945 (Mobile) · mmercer@cherokeega.org

In Cherokee County, you will find a myriad of film professionals to complement your team, and a host of available restaurants, services, and businesses ready to assist with your particular needs.

• Locate local, available crew
• Locate local support services

Take a look at just a few of Cherokee’s most recent silver screen appearances!