Comming to this years Festival
B.J. Gudmundsson Her most recent work was to co-write the one-man play, An Evening with Cal Price , which was filmed and produced into a film as an introduction to the subject of Patchworks next feature documentary, -30- Cal Price and The Pochaontas Times. She continues as that Projects Director giving public presentations and promoting the film. She is currently Project Director of the Pocahontas Co. Free Libraries Oral History Media Project. Gudmundsson lives with her family in Lewisburg and her WV production of Out of the Storm, which she also wrote and directed, was awarded Best Event Documentary, 2002 at the West Virginia Filmmakers Film Festival in Sutton. She continues as that Projects Director giving public presentations and promoting the film.
AT THE CAFÉ CIMINO RESTAURANT The Jolo Serpent Handlers (1978) Karen Kramer, a leading NYC documentarian, made her first film in Jolo, McDowell County. It is still the best film ever made on the subject of Holiness Church members who show their faith in God by handling poisonous snakes, drinking poison, and other signs
WV Filmmakers Guild meeting with special guest Pam Haynes director of the WV Film Office.
Dick Fauss archivist for the WV Archives at the Capitol, will present some clips of their most historic footage footage you often see on WV television or in WV films. Mr. Fauss was given the Leab Award, a national award for film archivists. Russ Barbour, a WV PBS film director, will present his 1989 film just shown, Breece Pancake An Appalachian Voice. Mr. Barbour has been a filmmaker for more than 20 years, directing many films including West Virginians at War.
Daniel Boyd, founder of the Paradise Film Institute and well-known director of independent feature films, will present two films he recently produced Duara and a film about making it, Sound the Drum. Mr. Boyd was a Fullbright Scholar, teaching filmmaking in Tanzania. These two films bring together the two different worlds of WV and Eastern Africa.
Ray Schmitt will introduce his newest portrait of a WV artist Robert Singleton Until I Become Light. Last spring Mr. Schmitt presented us Mountain Memories, his film about War, WV-born nature photographer Jim Clark. Earlier he had shown us the world of Twigman. His third portrait of a WV artist is about a remarkable painter who came to the state to create his luminous paintings.
Gerry Milnes Music and Movies. Folk Arts Coordinator for the Augusta Heritage Festival in Elkins, Mr. Milnes will first entertain with some music and then present several of his folklife films - Signs, Cures & WITCHERY - Appalachian Cosmology and Belief and clips from his others. He is also an author and may exhibit a few of his books.
ELK THEATER the local commercial film theater will be screening the newly restored 1987 WV classic film, Matewan. The Independent Film Channel and the UCLA Film Archives collaborated to restore several of John Sayles early films. These films toured the US during the summer of 2002. We are proud to be one of the few sites chosen to present just this one film. Filmed entirely inside WV, mostly in Thurmond, Fayette County, many call this the best labor history film ever made. Many fine actors were first recognized in this film including Chris Cooper (now starring in Adaptation, David Strathairn (more than 70 films), Mary McDonnell (star of Dances with Wolves). Many rank this as one of Sayles best films of his long career, and the film helped change WV education by finally allowing history teachers to discuss the Mine Wars inside the classroom.
Rob Johnson and filmmaker Neal Gentry present their helicopter tour film of the Birch River, River on the Rocks. Mr. Johnsons uncle Skip Johnson wrote a book about his favorite river. This 38 minute video contains footage shot along the final 17 miles of the Birch. This section of Birch is included in the WV Natural Streams Preservation Act. It begins at the Cora Brown Bridge in Nicholas County and ends at Glendon in Braxton County. The film is narrated by Clay County native, Neil Boggs, who retired from NBC television where he worked for NBC News. Skip Johnson, author of the book on the Birch River, "River on the Rocks - The Birch River Story, " is doing research on a new book about the Elk River, based loosely on the famous book, Tale of the Elk. This book will be called The Upper River. Rob will also be making a film version of this new book by Skip. Skip will be present to discuss his work.
Gary Simmons has been making documentary films in WV for more than 20 years. He has made biographies of Buck Harless and Jon McBride. In 1997, he made a four-part series called 'The Rock That Burns" with Dr. Stuart McGehee. He is presently working on a series of films about WV since WW II. He will be showing clips of all of his films.
New Films from Jaguar Productions. Greg Harpold and Jim Wolfe have been making documentaries for Cambridge Educational and now Jaguar Productions for more than a decade. Many have won awards. They will be presenting clips of their newest films and talking about making educational films in WV.
Professor Thomas Douglass. Dr. Douglass will be talking about WVs cinematic tradition, especially as shown in film versions of books by Davis Grubb. He will also be discussing the Russ Barbour bio of Breece Pancake. Dr. Douglass has written a book on Pancake and is writing a bio of Davis Grubb. He wrote the intro for a reprint of Grubbs novel, Fools Parade, that was also turned into a film.
world including at the London Film Festival and the East-West Film Festival in Hawaii. WV funding sources paid for this production. For the first time since 1993 a decade latter this film will be again shown in WV.
WORLD PREMIERE OF ELK HOTEL.
Landmark Studio prez and WVFFF director Kevin Carpenter will present his 30 minute horror film, Elk Hotel. Filmed in the historic Sutton Elk Hotel (owned by Carpenter) in summer 2002, its based on a local legend and hauntings. Carpenter is a grad film student at WVSC.
Funding is provided by Kay Goodwin and WV Dept. of Education and the Arts, the WV Commission on the Arts, and many local supporters.
