Peter Bull and the Center for Investigative Reporting have create“Dirty Business – -”Clean Coal” and the Battle for our Energy Future, “ the most comprehensive film to date on the realities of coal mining, burning, and its future of any film to date. It travels the world with a focus on the realities of MTR in West Virginia but also includes an amazing study done by Columbia on how much children improved in a Chinese city once a coal plant was removed from its downtown. And much more.  (more…)

Here is an e-mail I received about another new film on coal mining -DIRTY BUSINESS: ‘Clean Coal’ and the Battle for Our Energy Future will be playing at the 2010 Appalachian Film Festival on Saturday, April 24th at 4:10pm at the Keith Albee Theater, 1021 4th Avenue, Huntington WV. The film features author/reporter Jeff Goodell and includes interviews with Joe Lovett, Maria Gunnoe and Don Blankenship, among many others. More info about the film can be found at our website, http://dirtybusinessthefilm.com/ (more…)

Bonecrusher is the best contemporary portrait of an underground miner that I have seen ever. The next best one is Morgan Spurlock’s “30 Days” episode where he actually spent 30 days underground. “Bonecrusher” shows the good, the bad, and the ugly, but like Robert Gates said, with an amazingly clear eye.

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Nothing like finding a great new Appalahian film, I always have said since 1978. Thanks to Bob Gates, I apparently have found out about another one – Michael F. Fountain’s “Bonecrusher.” The film won the Jack Spadaro Film Award at the Appalachian Studies Conference recently, following in the great tradition of films like Catherine Pancake’s “Black Diamonds” and Anne Lewis’s “Morristown – in the Air and Son.” Below is a statement he wrote me after a brief phone call. I will be reviewing the film as soon as I get a copy, and hopefully the Spring 2010 WV Intl. Film Festival will be able to show it. More below.

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 Robert Gates in January 2010 presenting his new films at SCM LaBelle including original Buffalo Creek footage shown at Appalachian Studies Conference

Robert Gates presented his “16mm edited silent film montage” of the “Buffalo Creek Disaster” at the recent Appalachian Studies Conference along with expert Jack Spadaro. Bob presented three of his new films including Buffalo Creek at the South Charleston Museum in January to a good crowd despite the weather.

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David Marcum and his assistant Todd Gamble showed up to present three of their films about the bridges and roads and trolleys of West Virginia. A small but enthusiastic audience enjoyed the three short films that had their public premieres at the event. The filmmakers loved seeing their film up on the La Belle Marquee.

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David Marcum has beem directing some excellent films about WV roads and bridges for more than a decade. In 2007, the  WVLC sent a copy of his 2004 film “The Road to Opportunity” about the amazing constructionof the WV Turnpike to every public library in the state. The South Charleston Museum will be premiering locally his new national award winning film, “Bridging History at Blennerhasset Island” along with “The Road to Opportunity” and a short film about the trolley system that once existed in Huntington. Marcum continues to make films about WV’s great bridges and roads and will be releasing a new one this spring. Below is the press release for the event that will take place in March 2010.

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Wess Harris has sold almost 5,000 copies of William C. Blizzard’s book, “When Miners March.” Here is a great interview and article with Wess about the new edition coming in May. (more…)

Steve Date of Minneapolis has produced and directed a great film about “Coalwood,” Homer Hicham Jr’s hometown. It had its world premiere at The South Charleston Museum and was then shown at the Coalwood Festival last fall. You can watch the film on WVPB or purchase a copy from Tamarack and other WV stores.