Don Diego Ramirez, native West Virginian

Ray Schmitt, West Virginian by choice

The South Charleston Museum will begin its 2009 West Virginia Film Series on Saturday, January 10^th at 7 PM with two of the best films made in the state in recent years – Ray & Judy Schmitt’s “Six Months” and Don Diego Ramirez’ “Trailer Trash – a Film Journal.” The program is called “Love & Death in West Virginia” because the two themes are dominant in both films. Former Graffiti film critic and current WV film blogger for the Charleston Gazette Steve Fesenmaier selected these two films as the two best WV-made films of 2007. Neither one has been shown in the  Kanawha Valley previously though both have been shown at the WV Filmmakers Festival in Sutton in 2007.   Admission is $4.

 About  Six Months   Ray and Judy Schmitt of Mathias, Hardy County, WV have been making films for 30 years, several about people with various medical conditions such as RSD (Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy) as shown in their film, “The Abby Spirit” which was shown at SCM several years ago along with their film, “UFOs in Hardy County, WV.”  They decided it was time to make a film about Ray’s unusual medical condition, Marfan Syndrome.  They travel throughout WV and the region after meeting with his cardiologist at Johns Hopkins who requires a visit every six months to monitor his heart condition.   The intrepid couple visits with friends only to find that they, too, have life-threatening medical issues that require periodic monitoring.  Tragically, Judy passed away shortly after the film was completed in September 2007. Ray continues his visits to the MD and his search for the meaning of life. He and Judy recently won an international award given in Toronto for their latest film, “Dead Girl Walking,” which won the top award at the first BreastFest. Many local filmmakers are interviewed in this film including Kevin Carpenter, Jesse Johnson and film programmer Steve Fesenmaier.   54 minutes, 2007. 

 About  Trailer Trash – A Film Journal     West Virginia native Don Diego Ramirez was raised near the racetrack in Charles Town, Jefferson County. This autobiographical tale talks about his life in a trailer home without electricity or running water, and how he overcame his upbringing by studying art at Shepherd University. His grandmother dies from cancer, he has a baby with severe medical problems, and his sister is accused of    murdering his Louisiana-based grandfather. He narrates his thoughts and feelings about the super-intense life he led for nearly a three-year period between May 11, 2004 and January 6, 2007. The film has been shown in film festivals around the country, winning several major awards.   -   53 minutes, 2007.       

Trailer for the film 

Reviews of the film -

Pittsburgh City Paper

Baltimore City Paper

NY Times

New Filmmakers

Sydney Underground Film Festival

Pittsburgh Three Rivers Film Festival

  South Charleston Museum
At the Historic LaBelle Theatre
311 D Street
South Charleston, West Virginia 25303
United States of America
Tel. 304.744.9711 Fax.304.720.3769

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