‘Coal Country’ Premiere Goes On; Venue Now Cultural Center on Saturday
By Tony Rutherford-Huntingtonnews.net Entertainment Editor
Charleston, WV (HNN) — Concerned that protesters would be a security threat, the venue for the world premiere of “Coal Country” has been moved from the LaBelle Theatre in South Charleston to the Cultural Center , Capitol Complex, 1900 Kanawha Blvd. The screening begins at 8 p.m. on Saturday, July 11, 2009.
The premiere is free, but seating is limited.
Mari-Lynn Evans, executive producer, and Phylis Geller, writer/producer/director, provide a dramatic look at modern coal mining in the documentary. We get to know working miners along with activists who are battling coal companies in Appalachia.
We need to understand the meaning behind promises of “cheap energy” and “clean coal.” Are they achievable? At what cost? And what are the alternatives for our energy future?
“Coal County”, produced by Evening Star Productions, Akron, Ohio, explores these questions by following coal as it is mined, processed and burned for power. An especially dramatic tale unfolds in Appalachia, where families and communities are deeply split over the latest form of strip mining called ‘mountaintop removal’, or MTR. Coal companies blast the tops off mountains, and run the debris into valleys and streams. Some say MTR provides the only good jobs; others claim it is destroying the land, water and air.
The film introduces individuals on both sides of the mountain top removal controversy ranging from a mine manager and retired miner to an environmental lawyer, an activist, and former Congressman and WV Secretary of State Ken Heckler.
Both sides in this conflict claim that history is on their side. Families have lived in the region for generations. Most have ancestors who worked in the mines. Everyone shares a deep love for the land, but MTR is tearing them apart.