"The Oklahoma Film & Music Office and the producers of “The Cherokee Word for Water,” a Mankiller Project LLC production, announced Friday evening that pre-production for the film has started in Tahlequah. Principal photography is scheduled to begin Sept. 26 and last for four weeks. Shooting locations include the city of Tahlequah and its surrounding areas, according to the announcement from the state film office.

“The Cherokee Word for Water” will be a feature-length motion picture inspired by the true story of the struggle, opposition, and ultimate success of a rural community to bring running water to their families by using the Cherokee concept of gadugi – working together to solve a problem. The movie is told from the perspective of Wilma Mankiller, the first female principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, and Charlie Soap, a full-blood Cherokee organizer and community advocate. The completion of the waterline and its success sparked a movement of similar self-help projects across the Cherokee nation and in Indian country that continues to this day."

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Bam's Blog: Filming to begin Sept. 26 in Tahlequah on Wilma Mankiller movie “The Cherokee Word for Water” (The Oklahoman 9/19)