World premiere of new Appalachian series in WV
Ross Spears, director/founder of the James Agee Film Project, will present the world premiere of his new 4-part PBS series, “Appalachia: A History of Mountains and People” at the Shepherdstown, WV based American Conservation Film Festival in November. Here is a good story about the fest…http://www.prweb.com/releases/2007/10/prweb559081.htm
The series will be narrated by Sissy Spacek, famous for playing Loretta Lynn in “Coal Miner’s Daughter.” The funding is coming mostly from the National Science Foundation and National Endowment for the Humanities.
The WVIFF had the world premiere in Charleston of Spear’s response to Ken Burn’s “Civil War” called “Long Shadows” which presents the hyper moralism of American foreign policy that began with The Civil War and caused disasters like The Viet Nam War. James Agee wrote a screenplay for WV’s greatest film, “The Night of the Hunter” based on Davis Grubb’s novel. Unfortunately, it was never used.
Spear’s biographical film on Agee – “Agee” – is the only such biographical film ever nominated for an Oscar.
