LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — A new documentary is keeping the memory of 49 lives alive, 20 years after the Comair Flight 5191 crash.
Documentary director and producer Lanny Brannock spent the better part of a year immersed in the history of the crash, gathering photos, interviews and stories from those impacted, to bring everything together in one place.
"I've kind of been reliving and living within the 5191 crash for the last nine or 10 months," Brannock said.
He chose the 20th anniversary year as the time to tell that story.
"It feels like a long time, but I mean, I think for a lot of people, it's going to be very fresh in their minds. Everyone that you talk to says, 'I remember exactly where I was, I remember how I found out, I remember how I felt,'" Brannock said.
His documentary, titled "49 Doves", premiered at the Kentucky Theatre on Aug. 6. Demand quickly outgrew the theater it was originally scheduled to screen in.
Covering Kentucky
Comair Flight 5191 documentary to premiere at Kentucky Theater on Aug. 6
"We ended up with more than 500 people in the theater that night. We actually went from the small theater to the big theater about three weeks before, because we had already gotten close to selling out the small theater," Brannock said.
The film's title is represented at the University of Kentucky Arboretum, where 49 doves symbolize the 49 lives lost in the crash.
Since the premiere, Brannock said people who were not featured in the film have been reaching out to share their own connections to the tragedy.
"I've had a lot more people that were not in the film reach out in any number of ways, email, text, whatever, and just say, 'Hey, this is my story, this is my part in it,'" Brannock said.
Twenty years later, Brannock said those stories point to something bigger, how Lexington came together when it mattered most.
"Lexington showed the best of itself during that event. The outpouring from the people of Lexington and the people of Kentucky in general was immense. They really cared. They showed how they cared," Brannock said.
"49 Doves" is a way to make sure those 49 lives, and the stories surrounding them, are never forgotten.
Molly Demrow is committed to covering the stories that matter to you. If you have an idea, please reach out to Molly at molly.demrow@wlex.tv.
