MACON, Ga. — It was opening night for the Milledgeville-Eatonton Film Festival Tuesday. Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills and other cast members walked the red carpet for the premiere of a short film called "83 Days." Sabrina Burse went to the Plaza Arts Center for the event.
"I ended up being the judge in the movie," said Sheriff Howard Sills. The film is based on a true story about 14-year-old George Stinney Jr. The African American teen was the youngest person in United States history to be put to death by the electric chair. He was arrested, tried, convicted, and executed in just 83 days. "Sometimes, history is not pleasant, but it's good to learn the history of what happened, good or bad," said Sills.
Director Andrew Paul Howell says he hopes the short film will grab people's attention in the Milledgeville-Eatonton Film Festival so they can eventually create a feature film that opens up a dialogue about the criminal justice system. "And what we can do to help change some of the things that are still similar to what happened back then that are still occurring today," said Howell.
Overall, Sheriff Sills says acting in the film was an exciting opportunity Eatonton could be a part of. "Acting is pretty easy work compared to sheriffing," said Sills.
Stinney Jr. was exonerated in 2014 about 70 years later. Director Andrew Howell says it took about a year to complete the film.