Washington, DC- Today, Rep. Heath Shuler (D-Waynesville) welcomed filmmakers Francine Cavanaugh and Adams Wood of Asheville, North Carolina to the Capitol Hill Visitors Center for a special screening of their film, On Coal River. The screening was sponsored by Representatives Heath Shuler and Patrick Kennedy, as well as the organization Appalachian Voices.
“Western North Carolina is proud to be home to number of talented artists,” said Rep. Shuler. “Filmmakers Adams Wood and Francine Cavanaugh clearly drew inspiration from the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina in the making of their film. I’m proud to welcome my constituents to the Capitol as they share their work.”
The filmmakers told Rep. Shuler about the impact the Western North Carolina mountain region had on their project, “When we moved to the North Carolina mountains from the San Francisco Bay Area in 2002, we soon learned about mountaintop removal through an article in an environmental newspaper. We were startled by the pictures and descriptions of this coal mining technique, and we were also really shocked by our own ignorance - at that point, we didn't even know that our electricity came from coal! Let alone that our new home state was the number one user of mountaintop removal coal.”
Francine Cavanaugh and Adams Wood continued, “Something about the concept of mountaintop removal really grabbed us -- maybe because mountains usually serve as metaphors for something that will endure much longer than we humans will.”
Rep. Shuler also spoke to the importance of resource conservation and environmental quality. “It is important that we know how our actions, including the production of the energy we use, affect the health of our communities and our natural environment. Congress must take steps to protect the quality of our air and water and ensure that our natural resources are preserved for future generations here in Appalachia and across the country.”
A number of the activists depicted in the film will also be present to speak at the Capitol screening, including Judy Bonds, Ed Wiley, Debbie Jarrell and Bo Webb. The film is a DownRiver Media production, in association with Katahdin Prods., Soma Prods., Spark Prods./Convergence Pictures, 7 Spencer Prods. It was produced by Jillian Elizabeth, Adams Wood, and Francine Cavanaugh. Executive producers are Dan Firshwasser, Eric Falkenstein, Deann Borshay Liem, J. Robert Spencer. It was directed and edited by Francine Cavanaugh, Adams Wood, and written by Francine Cavanaugh, Jillian Elizabeth, and Adams Wood.
###