Dr. Fred Pollock, president of the WV Jewish Film Festival, and Rabbi Urecki had a previous film event, also held at the Park Place Stadium Theaters

Dr. Fred Pollock, president of the West Virginia Jewish Film Festival, introduced the two films being shown at the 2009 edition of the annual film festival, “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” and “The Secrets.” Almost every seat was taken in the 300 + auditorium at the Park Place Stadium Theaters in downtown Charleston for the 5 PM showing. The program is sponsored by Federated Jewish Charities of Charleston.

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Trey Kay is now traveling in West Virginia, interviewing many people for his new radio documentary on the real beginning of the “culture wars” that has shook the world, the Kanawha County Textbook Case. He came in to visit with me and he had a chance to finally meet someone he has known about for his entire life, but never met - Ken Hechler.

Below is my November 17th original story on Mr. Kay and his latest radio documentary project.

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Russ Barbour, one of WV’s most productive filmmakers, will have his latest project broadcast on WVPBS this coming Thursday at 9 PM. Read the Gazette story about Russ and his 30-year wait to finish this film. Congrats Russ - so glad you got the Hechler and Marland films finished finally! ( My earlier story on this film.) See the YouTube preview.

Nighttime photograph of LaBelle Theater Marquee for 2009 WV Film Event, showing two great WV films, Ray & Judy Schmitt’s “Six Months”and Don Diego Ramirez’ “Trailer Trash - A Film Journal”  

Thanks to Doug Imbrogno’s great interview with director Don Diego Ramirez of “Trailer Trash - A Film Journal,” about 40 people attended the Kanawha Valley premiere of the film which was shown with Ray Schmitt & Judy Schmitt’s stunning “Six Months.” The films were chosen as the two best WV-made films of 2007, and fit together perfectly since they were both autobiographical.

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Nat Hentoff is one of my biggest heroes, along with Ken Hechler, Sandy Berman and filmmaker Les Blank. I have spoken with Hentoff many times, helping him cover the amazing moral collapse of the American Library Association. (more…)

Dr. Ken Hechler was invited by Dr. Victoria Dixon, Director, Human Relations, Equal Opportunity Program of the U.S. Dept. of the Army Test and Evaluation Command, to be the guest speaker at their 2009 Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on January 7, 2009. The event was held from 10:30 AM to 1 PM at their headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia. Dr. Victoria Dixon saw Ken give his presentation last August at the Pentagon in honor of the 60th anniversary of President Truman giving the executive order that desegregated the U.S. military and federal workforce and was so impressed, she sent a request asking him to speak to the Soldiers and Army civilians of ATEC.

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 Norman Jordan, Theresa Burriss and Ken Hechler at the Cultural Center 2008

On Saturday, February 21, 2009, at 7 pm the West Virginia Division of Culture and History will once again present an African American Arts and Heritage Academy Showcase at the Cultural Center. The program will feature faculty and student presentations in the areas of vocal and instrumental music, theater arts, literature and creative writing, dance, culture and history, visual arts, video and studio recording.  A professional video producer has created a fantastic video using higlights he shot at the 2008 African American Arts and Heritage academy.  The video will be shown during the showcase.

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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. (more…)

The 2009 West Virginia Jewish Film Festival will be presented on Sunday, January 11th, at 5 PM at The Park Place Stadium Theaters in downtown Charleston. Admission is FREE and open to the public. The films will be the following - at 5 PM the new commercial film, “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas”. 7 PM “The Secrets”  The first film will be showing commerically at the Park Place opening on Friday, January 9th. The second film is a new film, just opening in New York City. Funding for this event is provided by Federated Jewish Charities of Charleston.

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