Director: Mark N. Goodman
In the summer of 1844, a young frontier community loses its founder to violence and must decide, in real time, whether it survives the loss — that is the six-day window "Six Days in August" builds its entire story around.
What is Six Days in August about?
The film opens in the immediate aftermath of Joseph Smith's killing by an armed mob, when the settlement of Nauvoo is thrown into confusion about who leads next and whether outside forces will move in while the community is weakest. Rather than dramatizing the mob violence itself, the story stays inside the following six days, tracking the practical and emotional scramble of the people left behind: rival claims to leadership, fear of further attacks, and ordinary residents trying to keep daily life functioning under the threat of collapse. Told largely through the perspective of everyday townspeople rather than church leadership alone, the film treats the period as a test of a community's cohesion under sudden, violent uncertainty.
Cast & crew
John Donovan Wilson and Paul Wuthrich lead an ensemble built around ordinary Nauvoo residents rather than a single central figure, a choice that keeps the film's focus on the community's collective response. Twyla Wilson and Joseph Carlson round out a cast of relative newcomers, which lends the crowd and council scenes a grounded, unpolished feel appropriate to the historical setting.
Context & significance
Directed by Mark N. Goodman and produced as a Canada-United States co-production released in 2024, "Six Days in August" is a period drama set entirely within the six days following the 1844 Nauvoo crisis, drawing on firsthand historical accounts of the settlement's response. The film runs two hours and focuses on procedural and civic tension over spectacle, staying close to the historical record of how the community organized itself in the absence of its founder.
Where & how to watch
"Six Days in August" streams on K-Time with a Persian dub and Persian subtitles available, making the historical detail easy to follow for Farsi-speaking viewers. Access requires only a free account login, on a platform built around Farsi navigation for Iranian audiences abroad.