Deep Down, a project by Sally Rubina and Jen Gilomen examines how the practice of mountain top removal in search of coal in the Appalachian mountains of eastern Kentucky is affecting a local community, and will be screening in Copenhagen at the UN Climate Change Conference and later on PBS. Read the rest of this entry »
Robert Gates quit his job as a computer/chemical engineer at Union Carbide and became a full-time filmmaker, photographer, stage lighter, etc. around 1976. I met him in fall 1978. He has updated his collection of movies with several major exceptions including his masterpiece, “Communication from Weber,” which won many awards and toured England. I would like to show it again myself after having the world premiere at Sunrise Museums long ago. I rank it as one of the “top ten WV films ever made.” Here is a list of DVD versions of Gates’ films you can purchase on DVD.
Still from B.J. Gudmundsson’s “#30 - Cal Price and the Pocahontas Times”
In 2007, WV’s public libraries owned over 200,000 videos - DVDs and VHS, as well as almost 200,000 audio items. Search the largest public library system in the state, Kanawha County Public Library, with 30,000 videos, I now find that they own 38 WV-related DVDs.
Enock Hicks was raised in a coal camp outside of War, WV. He spent his career working in mines and mainly selling mining equipment. Living in Dayton, Ohio, he has become an author and filmmaker, making “A Flaming Rick! Coal,” now on sale at Tamarack and elsewhere. He send me a new film,”Our Good Earth,” that has several stories including several sponsored ones including one from the National Coal Association about the great job they are doing on restoring land that has been stripmined. Read the rest of this entry »
David Marcum has done a real service to the people of WV by producing and directing his award-winning film, “Bridging History at Blennerhassett Island.” The film is an award-winning film about a bridge that won an international competition as the best bridge of its kind in THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD. Congrats to Mr. Marcum who also worked on the great DOT film on building the WV Turnpike, “The Road to Opportunity, (available FREE at all WV public libraries) and Terry Lively’s multiple award winning film, “Crossings - Bridge Building in WV.” Together the three films are a trilogy about the importance of bridges in the Mountain State. Hopefully you will be able to see this film by borrowing a copy at your local public library. Read the rest of this entry »
Eamon Hardimon (”Vampire Whores from Outer Space”) is presenting his latest film - “Porkchop” at the Warner Theater in Morgantown on December 19th. Read a review in the WVU newspaper here. Congrats to Mr. Hardimon for continuing the hard work of making indie films!
Dr. Harvard Ayers of Appalachian State University, Boone, NC, stopped in Monday, December 7th, after attending the latest anti-MTR protest, this time headlined by RFK Jr. in front of the WV DEP Building in Kanawha City. He is Professor Emeritus of Anthropology and
Archeology at Appalachian State U..Most importantly, he is the archeologist who recently did a lot of hard work showing that serious science stilll needs to be done to explore the history of Blair Mountain. We visited for several hours, talking about our mutual struggle to save Blair Mountain from being demolished, and I of course discussed my lifetime of watching films about coal mining.
River Cities Film Series Patrons:The River Cities Film Series is going on hiatus for 2010. The series has had a great run over the past ten years, but in 2009, attendance and donations were down. Additionally, one of our primary suppliers, New Yorker Films, when out of business in February. At the same time, access to a wide variety of films at home through services like Netflix and online downloads has increased the overall availability of foreign and independent films. Read the rest of this entry »
Head table - Mrs. Grover Marion, Grover Marion, WVLHA president Gordon Simmons, Wes Holden from Senator Rockefeller’s Office, Jack Spadaro and friend
Ken Hall reading letter from Jimmy Hoffa Jr. about all of Grover’s 60 years helping working people
On a cold snow morning, on Saturday, December 5th at noon, 2009 about 60 people including Attorney General McGraw and Paul Nyden of the Gazette, and others drove to the Teamster Hall in South Charleston to honor two men who have spent their lives helping the laboring people of the state. President Gordon Simmons began the introductions, briefly talking about the West Virginia Labor History Association and its 25 year list of great WVians who have helped the working class of the state starting with the Reuther family. Jack Spadaro was present to receive the award for McAteer who was unavailable as interim president of Wheeling-Jesuit University. Mr. and Mrs. Grover E. Marion came in wheelchairs after a recent fall.
Richard Bartram Jr. interviewing me for his documentary on WV’s first indie feature, “Teenage Strangler,” at WVLC. Still not completed…
Richard Bartram could be called “the Rudy Panucci of Huntington.” Like Rudy, he is infinitely hard working and creative and just wants to show the local scene in his movies. Recently Bartram sent me a DVD he calls “Twaddle” which certainly is NOT what it is.
