| September 10, 2009 |
| 7:00 pm |
A special preview of the film *Coal Country* will be shown on Thursday, September 10, at 7:50 p.m. at the Lyric Theater in Blacksburg. The film tells the dramatic story of the struggles of Appalachian communities against mountain top removal mining. A concert by Diana Jones, who performs in the movie’s soundtrack, will start at 7 p.m. The event is free with a recommended $10 donation to the sponsors, the Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards and the Sierra Club’s programs against mountain top removal.
Special Preview: *COAL COUNTRY*
*A film by Mari-Lynn Evans and Phylis Geller*
www.coalcountrythemovie.com
Coal Country, the new film from Evening Star Productions tells the story of the dramatic struggle happening in central Appalachia communities around mountain-top removal coal-mining. In these communities, miners and residents are locked in conflict: is mining and processing coal essential to providing good jobs, or is it destroying the land, water and air?
Passions are running high in the mountains of Appalachia. Families and communities are deeply split over what is being done to their land. At issue is the latest form of strip mining called “mountaintop removal”, or MTR. Coal companies blast the tops off mountains, and dump the debris, or “overburden” into valleys and streams. They then mine the exposed seams of coal and transport it to processing plants. Coal is mined more cheaply than ever with less manpower needed while an ancient mountain range is disappearing forever.
A sneak peak of the film, which will air nationally in November, will be offered in Virginia on Thursday, September 10th at The Lyric Theatre located at 135 College Avenue in Blacksburg. Singer and songwriter Diana Jones (www.dianajonesmusic.com), featured on the upcoming Coal Country soundtrack, will be performing at 7pm preceding the 7:50pm film showing. This is a free event for the public, with a suggested $10 contribution to the Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards and Virginia Sierra Club’s mountain-top removal advocacy campaigns. Signed, limited-edition prints of Virginian artist Wes Freed’s Coal Country painting will also be available for purchase.
This premiere event also includes a special appearance by Wise County resident Kathy Selvage whose story is featured in the film. Ms. Selvage’s father was a coal miner and a decades-long member of the UMWA. But when MTR began to tear her community apart, she could not remain silent. Listen first-hand to this coal miner’s daughter describe why she became a grass-roots organizer for the sake of her community’s future with deep respect for its past.
Coal is very far from the minds of most Americans, and this film will make you consider where the energy comes from to run the machinery of our daily lives. The movie was made to offer views from both sides of the issue to foster better ways to compromise, and take a look at coal mining with compassion, and respect.
