Finally - a film about WV whitewater rafting
I have been looking for a good film about WV white water rafting for almost 30 years. When I first came to WV in September 1978, then editor of Goldenseal Ken Sullivan and I drove down to Jon Dragan’s rafting headquaters because he had a 3/4 inch videotape of a TV program called “The Oldest New River.” The Division of Culture and History paid to have the film transferred to 16 mm film, making it available for the citizens of the state. Ever since then I have kept my eyes open for a great film on the WV white water rafting experience, but not until recently have I found one….at least not one made in-state.
In 1990, as director of WVLC Film Services, I did find a videotape called “West Virginia Whitewater” produced by a company in Seattle as I recall. Here is the description -
WEST VIRGINIA WHITEWATER
60 M. 1990 VHS Camera One
Some of America’s best river adventures are to be found in the waters of
West Virginia. Descend into the “Grand Canyon of the East”- the 1000 foot deep
New River Gorge with is legendary rapids and ledge-drops. Drift by the boom and bust coal towns and rusty relics of the early 1900s as the rich history of the
New River unfolds. For non-stop, white-knuckle whitewaters, it’s the world famous Gauley River with rapids like Iron Curtain, Mash, and Heaven’s Gate. On June 27th, at the Historic Fayette Theater, the world premiere of “Paddles of the Past” took place, sponsored by the West Virginia Professional River Outfitters Association. ( I am now trying to obtain a review copy of the film.) The film traces the 40 year history of the whitewater rafting industry in Southern WV, starting with the Dragan clan. The film runs 25 minutes. I am really looking forward to seeing it, and hopefully promoting it as a work of art. Pam Haynes, director of the WV Film Office, knew about the film from the same Charleston Daily Mail small article that I read, but otherwise knew nothing about it. Neither did Lino Dimarchi. (see below)
Lino Demarchi, a television technician who works with me at WVLC, once loaned me a film someone had made about an annual rafting trip that some guys took with him. He was a professional river guide for years, entertaining at night with live music. The film was great, and I suggested that the filmmaker edit it and show it to the public.
Apparently there is a new Paddle Film Festival held each year at the Historic Theater in Fayette. Check out the website….. For 25 years there has been a National Paddling Film Festival.
It was because of this experience that I recommended that John Sayles shoot “Matewan” in Thurmond. Dragan took Sullivan and I over to see the town, and I thought that it was fascinating. ( The official history of “Matewan” gives Carolyn Ketchum the credit for taking Sayles to Thurmond….skipping the resistance WV State government had to making the film here at all. The one exception was Joe Fowler, then head of the Division of Tourism, who told me to “do anything I could to get the film made in WV.” I got the local newspapers to publish a story about Sayles’ search for a 1920s coal tipple - which proved to Maggie Renzi, Sayles’s girlfriend and executive producer, that SOMEONE in WV State government wanted the film made here. Sayles and Renzi originally came to WV in 1983, four years before they finally released the film in 1987. The film was almost shot in Virginia because of their much greater cooperation that included helicopters to show them around, etc.)
