Dr. Fred Barkey, one of my oldest WV friends and a leading WV labor historian, has finally had his Ph.D. thesis on the Socialist Party in WV published by WV Press. Here is a description of the book from its website-http://wvupressonline.com/barkley_working_class_radicals_9781935978459 – Read the rest of this entry »

On April 13th, at 7 PM, Alban Art Center, 65 Olde Main Street, St. Albans, WV
in St. Albans, Don Shearer will introduce a film which includes him, “The Lost Airmen of Buchenwald.” Admission is FREE. ( See my review at http://blogs.wvgazette.com/wvfilm/2011/10/04/lost-airmen-of-buckenwald/)

This film is very well done and Don gives some great interviews. If you love WWII, be sure to watch this brand new film that has been shown only a handful of places around the country. Read the rest of this entry »

“Pina” (2011 Germany 103 minutes)

“Dance, dance…otherwise we are lost.” Pina Bausch

In 1990 the WVIFF screened Pina Bausch’s “The Complaint of An Empress.” It was difficult to secure a print as none existed in the US. So significant a picture by the world’s most invigorating choreographer that it screamed its essentialness. A print was secured from Germany. It was worth the effort. Read the rest of this entry »

Log on to www.wviff.org and check out the films coming to the annual spring festival. It looks like quite a nice group of films, especially “Pina” by Wim Wenders. Thanks to Bill Perrine for letting me know about the festival – he is a founding leader of the group that created the festival years ago. I will be posting his comments on the festival since he has seen many of the films in NYC and elsewhere – which I have NOT.

On Sunday, March 4th at 8 PM, you can watch Russ Barbour and his colleague Jessica Lilly have created the best film to date on life in the southern coal camps of Wyoming and Raleight Counties. Many, many people are interviewed including famous musicians, local experts, and people who grew up in the camps. Read the rest of this entry »

Russ is the 2010 WV Filmmaker of the Year, and director of the films on Ken Hechler and Gov. Marland, along with many other films. He has a new one that will shown on WVPBS and hopefully at the SCM La Belle Theater. Here is more info on the film….

Read the rest of this entry »

Photo courtesy of WV State Archives

Mari-Lynn Evans of “The Appalachians” and “Coal Country” fame will introduce her newest film – “Hawks Nest – Blood Beneath Our Feet” at the Cultural Center.

To all WV lovers of independant film;

I have been a member of Film Independant since the mid-nineties. Each year, we vote for Spirit Awards which recognizes the best categories in Independant film.
Film Independant also presents on-line seminars on all aspects of the indy film process.
This year ,for the first time, FI is sending out screeners on all their nominated films for those that are not in geographic areas and also for any film that you just missed. Read the rest of this entry »

This story below is about today’s arrest of my friend, Josh Fox who made GASLAND. This is what they tried to do with me at the US House Committee on Natural Resource field Hearing in Charleston in Sept 2011. Maria Gunnoe was there with me when they tried for 30 minutes to remove me. The Committee then omitted her testimony from the official press release.. Read the rest of this entry »