Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Steve Fesenmaier,

Film Programmer for the West Virginia Films Series at the South Charleston Museum

907 Churchill Circle Charleston, WV 25314 304-345-5850 mystery12@charter.net

Work – 558-3978 ext. 2015.  fesenms@wvlc.lib.wv.us

 South Charleston Museum

To Present World Premiere of a New Film on the West Virginia Wilderness

 [Charleston, WV April 6, 2007]              The South Charleston Theater in South Charleston, WV, will present the world premier of “God’s Gift of a Wild and Wonderful Land” on Saturday, April 14, 2007 at 7:00 p.m.  This special film event will also be the theatrical premier of three short films that make up “The Mountain Mourning Collection.”  Greenbrier Valley filmmaker, B. J. Gudmundsson along with Allen Johnson and Bob Marshall, co-founders of the films’ sponsor, Christians for the Mountains, will present an evening focused on Creation Care in West Virginia.

            “God’s Gift of a Wild and Wonderful Land” is a Christian declaration on the spiritual values of West Virginia’s Monongahela National Forest.  For decades The Monongahela, which holds over 919,000 acres in 10 West Virginia counties, has provided a fragile oasis for calm, peace and solitude in a world where these values are increasingly hard to find.  The film uses stunning photography, hymnal music and personal testimonies to articulate what makes these wilderness areas special and why their advocacy can protect them for generations yet unborn.

"We really do honor and remember our nation’s historical journey by preserving wild places," said Bob Marshall of Kenna, speaking for Christians for the Mountains.  "We show our respect for our ancestors whose challenges in this magnificent wilderness shaped West Virginia and gave us our self-reliant character. It’s the source of our strength and our virtue. We have a duty to preserve it, whole cloth."

            “The Mountain Mourning Collection” focuses on the subject of mountaintop removal coal mining and features three films that affirm the beauty of creation and portray the human experience in the coal-rich regions of the Southern Appalachian Mountains.  “Mountain Mourning” contrasts nature’s beauty with scenes of ruin and calls upon people of conscience to advocate healing and justice for the land and its people.  “Look What They’ve Done” follows Maria Gunnoe as she surveys the effects of Mountaintop Removal on her home place in Bob White, WV.  Larry Gibson, of Kayford Mountain, is featured in “Keeper of the Mountains.”  His powerful statement to the filmmaker sets the stage for a walk up his mountain where he leads a band of friends through “Hell’s Gate” and in one breath-taking moment brings the viewer upon what he calls “the end of the world.”  These three films have been described as “a whisper that breaks the silence.”

            Appalachian musician and songwriter, Tonya Adkins, will perform at 6:30 prior to the film screening.  Tonya is one of the several musicians featured in “Mountain Mourning” and will be performing music that touches both the heart and the soul.

            B. J. Gudmundsson is a native of Pocahontas County and lives in Lewisburg, WV.  She serves on the Board of the West Virginia Filmmakers Guild and was named West Virginia Filmmaker of the Year in 2005.  Website www.patchworkfilms.com

            Christians for the Mountains is a non-profit, grass-roots organization that encourages the preservation of God’s Earth and its human communities.  Website www.christiansforthemountains.org

The South Charleston Museum does not endorse in any way the opinions expressed in these films or any opinions state by the filmmaker and sponsors. It is showing these films as part of its on-going West Virginia film series that began in July 2004.

            Admission is $4.00, $2.00 for members.  

 The South Charleston Museum is located in the LaBelle Theatre, 311 D Street, South Charleston, WV.  For more information, please contact the museum by telephoning 304.744.9711, e-mail scmuseum@yahoo.com, or visit http://www.geocities.com/scmuseum/WV_Film_Series.html

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South Charleston Museum
At the Historic LaBelle Theatre
311 D Street
South Charleston, West Virginia 25303
United States of America
Tel. 304.744.9711
Fax.304.720.3769