by Joey Morona
Cleveland filmmaker Laura Paglin describes her documentary "This Is Pike County" as an "intimate, raw portrait that lingers on what it means to come of age in a place left behind." Paglin will appear at a post-screening Q&A at the Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque on Thursday, Aug. 27.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque will present the Cleveland premiere of the documentary “This Is Pike County” on Thursday, Aug. 27. The 6:30 p.m. screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Laura Paglin.
The documentary chronicles Paglin’s visit to Pike County, Ohio in 2017. A year earlier, the rural community, about 70 miles south of Columbus, was the site of the murders of eight members of the Rhoden family.
Paglin, a Cleveland native whose previous film, “Unseen,” examined the Anthony Sowell serial killings, initially traveled to Pike County to document the aftermath of the massacre. But after moving into a budget motel and spending time with residents, her focus shifted. The result is an honest portrait of a largely overlooked corner of Ohio, a community thrust into the national spotlight by one of the darkest chapters in its history.
The film first screened in Northeast Ohio at the 2025 Chagrin Documentary Film Fest.
General admission tickets are $12 at cinematheque.cia.edu. Discounts are available for CIA and Cleveland State students and anyone 25 and under. The event will be held at the Cinematheque’s 300-seat Peter B. Lewis Theater, 11610 Euclid Ave., Cleveland.