Gloucester, VA – Today, the National Park Service and its principal non-profit partner Chesapeake Conservancy make available the short film, “Werowocomoco: Protecting a Powhatan Place of Power.” The film was made in cooperation with tribal community members. The short film premiered at the Virginia Film Festival on November 1, 2018 and earned the Commonwealth Award for Best Virginia Short Film. Werowocomoco is a highly anticipated entrant in the upcoming Pocahontas Reframed Film Festival in Richmond, Virginia.

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More than 400 years before English settlers established Jamestown, Werowocomoco was an important Powhatan Indian town. Werowocomoco, translated from the Virginia Algonquian language, means “place of leadership.” As an archeological site now under the permanent protection of the National Park Service (NPS), Werowocomoco is not yet open to the public until planning is completed with American Indian tribes who hold this place as sacred.

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“Werowocomoco is a powerful and sacred place in the history of Native people in the Chesapeake Bay region and beyond,” said National Park Service Superintendent Kym Hall. “We hope that people can experience the significance and beauty of Werowocomoco through this film while NPS and our tribal partners prepare Werowocomoco for visitors.”

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Joel Dunn, president and CEO of Chesapeake Conservancy added, "This incredible film is our first of many chances to share the story of Werowocomoco with the public and help us preserve it for future generations."

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Werowocomoco was placed under the permanent protection of the National Park Service in June 2016 as part of the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail. See the film on the trail’s website:  https://www.nps.gov/cajo/planyourvisit/werowocomoco.htm