CHEROKEE ROSE
A film by Phillip Rob Bellury
Music for promotional use only. Not for commercial use.
CONTENTS
3 Logline
4 Filmmaker’s Statement
6 Synopsis
8 Themes & Tone
9 Characters
10 Look & Feel
12 Filmmakers
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LOGLINE
Rose, a rising star in the resort development business, deceptively plots the acquisition of a North Georgia retreat center but instead discovers a mysterious ancestral connection to the Cherokee Nation, uncovers the buried truth of her upbringing, and falls in love with a wealthy business leader who competes for the same property.
FILMMAKER'S STATEMENT
My fascination with the Cherokee people began as a child watching the
“Trail of Tears” outdoor drama in North Carolina. Through years of research, interviews, and a television production with Cherokee actors, I learned much about the culture, history and travails of the Cherokee Nation in North Georgia. The present-day story in this movie is as much about those findings as it is about Rose, the story’s protagonist, who gains a deeper understanding of the connection between the indigenous people and the land that was taken away from them. As one Cherokee puts it, “The land is our church, because our ancestors are buried here, and this land is our spiritual link to those who have gone before us.”
SYNOPSIS
Rose, a recently divorced urbanite in Atlanta, is on the fast-track to a senior
executive position at a resort development business. She is given the task to
find a new property in the North Georgia mountains for an investment group and pretends to be interested in a management position at Cherokee Falls, a magnificently lush retreat center, with the hidden agenda to gather inside financial information. Her scheme becomes complicated by the arrival of Taylor, a handsome and charismatic businessman, who is also making a bid for the property. As she continues her onsite tours and interviews with the aging couple who own the property, she also spends time with her grandparents, who raised her in Atlanta after her parents and younger sister were tragically killed in car crash before they retired to North Georgia. As she delves deeper into the acquisition, unexpected revelations about her upbringing begin to surface,challenging her sense of identity and purpose. The intertwining of historicallegacy and personal discovery propels Rose on a transformative journey
THEMES AND TONE
Cherokee Rose is a mystical drama about heritage, romance, and discovering the powerful pull of a place you never knew was home. Set in the majestic North Georgia mountains, the film explores the deep history of a land that for thousands of years was home to the Cherokee Nation. Without making a political statement, the story reveals the tension between cultural preservation and modern development and ultimately provides a formula for how the two can both occur simultaneously.
Visually and emotionally, the film highlights the spiritual and mystical aspects of Cherokee life, as well as the people today who have migrated to the mountains to live in one of Mother Nature’s most exotic environments. Misty mountains, ancient forests, rocky streams, and waterfalls provide an artistic milieu that provides a perfect modus for flashback and scene transitions.
True Cherokee actors and a score that features native American music and
chants bring authenticity to the events and character development throughout the film. Ultimately, the conflict in the story is balanced by the warm and enchanting world that has always drawn humans to make it their home.
CHARACTERS
ROSE
A dark-haired beauty, Rose is driven to succeed in the world of corporate real estate but discovers that what once seemed unimportant now defines who she really is.
TAYLOR
Handsome and charismatic, Taylor leads a large agricultural cooperative, but his close relationship with the land serves his other passions for wine, music and preserving Cherokee history and culture.
FRAN
Aging but still full of vitality and compassion,Fran is sensitive to the plight of indigenous people and feels obligated to help them preserve theirhistorical heritage.
BEAU
Now retired and free from city life, Beau provides a light-hearted cynicism that fits his crusty personality.
WES
A thoughtful and engaging Cherokee who is descended from ancestors that inhabited North Georgia for thousands of years.
SAMUEL WORCESTER
A young, white missionary who dwelt among the Cherokee and courageously protested President Jackson’s order for removal in the late 1830s.
LOOK & FEEL
Cinematic, mystical and mysterious, mixed with romantic and historical drama.
FILMMAKERS
PHILLIP ROB BELLURY
After his early career as a fiction and nonfiction author, Phillip Rob Bellury began writing and producing commercials, documentaries, and television programs for regional and national broadcast. In 1997,he was named a division vice president for American Artists Films and served in that capacity until he broke away to re-establish his own film and video production company. His feature film credits include writer and executive producer on “The Neon Highway” starring Beau Bridges and Rob Mayes.
STRATTON LEOPOLD
Stratton Leopold began his stellar career in filmmaking as an actor, casting director,assistant director, location manager and production manager, working with many of Hollywood’s renowned directors and actors on a host of blockbuster movies. His later credits include producer, co-producer, supervising producer, and executive producer on major feature films, including“Mission Impossible 3,” “The Sum ofAll Fears,” “The General’s Daughter,”“The Adventures of Baron Munchausen,”“The Rose and the Jackal,” “The Big One,”“Blood In, Blood Out,” “Born Yesterday,”and others. He also served as an executivevice president at Paramount Studios.
SONIA BAJAJ
Sonia Bajaj is an award-winning filmmaker from India, based in Los Angeles. She has written, directed, and produced thirteen short films, earning 24 awards and 17nominations at multiple international film festivals. Her latest short, “Welcome to Klyde’s Kitchen,” which she co-wrote,directed, and produced, stars Beau Bridges and premiered as the Opening Night Film at the Oscar-qualifying LA Shorts International Film Festival, where it won the Immaculate Heart Community Award.Her films focus on empowering women and preserving the history and cultures ofindigenous people.
LORI BERLANGA, PGA
Lori Berlanga began her career in film as a grip on “El Show de Johnny Canales,” the Latin TV program televised nationally on Univision, eventually serving as the Associate Producer and Director of Operations. After transitioning to the English language market with the film “Selena,” she worked as production coordinator on multiple films, including “The Sum of All Fears,” “LA Confidential,” “Gone Girl,” “Paycheck”, “War of the Worlds”, and “Mission Impossible II”. More recently, she served as Co-Producer on “Hail Mary” and “The Neon Highway”, which starred Beau Bridges and Rob Mayes.