The Mountain Mourning Collection
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Five (5) Videos on one DVD:
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Each film in the collection affirms the beauty of creation and portrays the human experience in the coal-rich regions of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Stunning images and traditional Appalachian music call forth an awareness of the unsustainable devastation caused by destructive mining practices, which threatens all but the human spirit.
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- "Mountain Mourning”
- “Look What They’ve Done
- “Keeper of the Mountains
- “Call to Action”
- Excerpts from “Bringing Down the Mountains”
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“Mountain Mourning” Christians for the Mountains Feature Film
The filmmaker uses photography and personal stories to create an epiphany, a personal awakening, as nature’s beauty is starkly contrasted with scenes of ruin. Powerful narration is supported by traditional gospel and Appalachian music to tell this story of tragedy and hope. “Mountain Mourning” calls upon Christians and their churches to summons moral courage and effective advocacy that will bring healing and justice to this land and its people.
Produced by B. J. Gudmundsson, West Virginia Filmmaker of the Year 2005
Time approximate: 30 minutes.
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“Look What They’ve Done”
An outing with Maria Gunnoe in Bob White, West Virginia, provides a snapshot of the Mountaintop Removal Mining that has moved into her back yard. Filmmakers, B. J. Gudmundsson and Doug Chadwick, traverse the rocky road up Cazy Mountain to survey the aftermath of a strip-mining operation. Maria’s Native American ancestry is revealed through her memories of family and their respect for the land. Her story is one of courage and strength that is woven around the heart by musical recordings of her mother and father.
Time approximate: 20 minutes.
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“Keeper of the Mountains”
Larry Gibson is the only permanent resident on Kayford Mountain, just 35 miles from Charleston, West Virginia. For 19 years he has held on to his fifty acres – that which remains of his ancestral home. What was once a living community is now an island of life surrounded by death. Patchwork filmmakers join Larry and his band of friends as they pass through “Hell’s Gate” and - in one breathtaking moment – come upon “the end of the world.”
Time approximate: 18 minutes
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Also on this DVD:
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“Call to Action”
A special message from Bob Marshall, co-founder of Christians for the Mountains.
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“Bringing Down the Mountains”
Three courageous Greensburg (Salem, Pa) High School students, Stephanie Loughner, Jill Sompel and Kaitlyn Walton, produced this short film in January 2006 and granted permission for selected scenes to be included in this collection.
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The mountains of Appalachia are among the oldest mountains in the world. Appalachians are a proud people, with a unique culture and a deep connection to the land that surrounds them. This is coal country. Today, traditional coal mining is being replaced with Mountaintop Removal. As communities fall victim to valley fills, flooding, polluted drinking water, lost jobs and poverty, people of conscience are coming together to stop this destructive mining practice.
Mountains don’t grow back. 10,000 years from now, Appalachia will still show the scars of what has been done in our lifetimes.
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The “Mountain Mourning Collection” is produced by B. J. Gudmundsson,
West Virginia Filmmaker of the Year 2005.
Running time: 76 minutes (30 + 20 + 18 + 4 + 4)
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