Kevin Carpenter, president of the WV Filmmakers Festival, announced today that his festival will be screening the controversial film by Mari-Lynn Evans, “Coal Country.” Ms. Evans is a native of nearby Bulltown, Braxton County, now living in Ohio. She has been present before at the festival, showing clips of her landmark PBS series, “The Appalachians.” Carpenter said that he doesn’t know where it will be shown – The Landmark Studio, the Elk Theater, or maybe the new outdoor theater that was recently build in Flatwoods. He also does not have a date or time. The festival will run the first weekend of October, celebrating its 10 event. See the press release below.
The film will also be shown at the 23RD ANNUAL WINE COUNTRY FILM FESTIVAL in the Napa Valley & Sonoma Valleys Sept 17 – 27 and the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival Sept. 28-Oct. 2 in
Wyoming where it is one of three finalists in the “best conservation program.” The film will eventually be shown nationally on PBS. ( Both Ms. Evans and director Phylis Geller have been working with PBS for decades. ) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DATE: July 10, 2009CONTACT: Kevin Carpenter, Festival Director WV Filmmakers Festival kevincarpenter1@gmail.com (304) 545-3043 2009 WV FILMMAKERS FESTIVAL TO SHOWCASE
BRAXTON COUNTY NATIVE’S FILM, COAL COUNTRY The 2009 West Virginia Filmmakers Festival will present the new film by.Braxton County native Mari-Lynn Evans called “ Coal County.” It is a feature documentary on contemporary coal mining in central Appalachia. “Coal Country” will be shown sometime during its 2009 festival, October 3-5, in Sutton, WV. The date, time and location are yet to be decided. Ms. Evans is best known in West Virginia as the producer of the award-winning three-part series, “The Appalachians .About “Coal Country”
COAL COUNTRY takes us inside modern coal mining. We get to know working miners along with activists who are battling coal companies in
Appalachia. We visit the homes of people most directly affected by mountaintop removal mining (MTR) and hear about health problems, dirty water in their wells and streams, and dust and grime on their floors. We hear from miners and coal company officials who are concerned about jobs and the economy and believe they are acting responsibly in bringing power to the American people.Both sides in this conflict claim that history is on their side. Families have lived in the region for generations and most have ancestors who worked in the mines. Everyone shares a deep love for the land, but MTR is tearing them apart. Are the people fighting against mountaintop removal really protecting the earth, or do they stand in the way of affordable energy for all Americans? What is behind promises of “cheap energy” and “clean coal?” Are they achievable, and at what cost? And what are the alternatives for our energy future? Produced by Evening Star Productions. The following West Virginians are interviewed in the film – Ken Hechler, Chuck Nelson, Judy Bonds, Pauline Canterbury, Mary Miller, and Dr Matthew Hendricks. Website – http://www.cr23test.com/coal_country/indexhtml.html About Mari-Lynn Evans, the producerMari-Lynn Evans was born in Bulltown,
Braxton County, West Virginia. She has lived in Akron, Ohio for her adult life, working as a film producer for her company, Evening Star Productions. In 2005, she finished her three-part, three-hour series, “The Appalachians” which received many awards and was shown nationally on most PBS stations. She released a book and CD of music from the series. Since 2005, along with the director of “The Appalachians,” Phylis Geller, she has been working on her film about contemporary coal mining in Appalachia.
WV Filmmakers Festival C/O Kevin Carpenter92 South Stonewall St
Sutton WV 26601 Film Festival website - www.wvfilmmakersfestival.org
YouTube film about the event, showing clips of previous winners, by Rich Schmitt –http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iI-2BFc6wc4&feature=channel
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