NEWS

Welcome to the website of Anne Lewis, independent filmmaker associated with Appalshop, editor, and senior lecturer at the University of Texas - Austin.

Here you will find information and materials related to documentary films for social action, economic justice, and in celebration of Appalachian culture.

________________________________________

We join other mining families in grieving for the coal  miners who needlessly lost their lives in Massey Energy's Upper Big Branch mine on April 6, 2010. We also feel outrage at the barbarism of A.T. Massey and Don Blankenship.
in loss and rage, "Mine War on Blackberry Creek" is streamed on this site. The Appalshop documentary is about the 1984 United Mine Workers of America strike against A.T. Massey, the world's fourth largest coal company. It includes CEO Don Blankenship who recently called federal mine safety regulation and global warming "silly," scabs, and thugs. Richard A. Trumka, President of the AFL-CIO, expresses union values as well as the brave men and women who stand up to Massey. The film concludes with music by Rocky Peck, never hired back and killed in a dog hole mine. A remastered DVD is available. See "Mine War on Blackberry Creek," the 30-minute 1986 documentary by Anne Lewis.

At 7 pm on July 5, Mine War on Blackberry Creek screens during LaborFest at the Little Roxie Theatre - 3117 16th St., at Valencia, SF. Free/donation.

I will present clips from "Anne Braden: Southern Patriot" at the USSF in Detroit on June 25 from 3:30 to 5:30, Woodward 1473. The workshop is sponsored by KFTC and includes panelists Shameka Parrish-Wright and Kirk Owens who worked with Anne Braden and the organizations she founded. See the latest sample.

"Justice in the Coalfields," see trailer, and "Morristown: in the air and sun" have been selected for the 2010 thematic program on work and labor at the Full Frame Film Festival. They screen back-to-back on Sunday, April 11 at 7pm. For a press release about the thematic series curated by Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar click here. For festival schedule, click here.

In 1983, I documented Ted Kennedy when he conducted hearings in Neon, Kentucky and at the Mud Creek Clinic. Kennedy addressed health care and Reaganomics as he collected testimony from poor people. Clips are streaming on Appalshop's website. See the clips of Ted Kennedy in 1983.

It is the 20-year anniversary of the Pittston strike and "Justice in the Coalfields" tells the story from the miners' perspective. A remastered dvd is available with songs by Elaine Purkey. See the trailer for "Justice in the Coalfields."

The "Morristown: in the Air and Sun" trailer aired on national Free Speech TV as part of a program about the auto industry. GRITtv with Laura Flanders. Currently used at union and immigration workshops throughout the country, the film will be broadcast on Free Speech TV. Please stay tuned for schedule. See the page for "Morristown: in the air and sun."

____________________________________________
"A Tender Promise: Education Story"(formerly named "High Stakes") received a City of Austin cultural contract to continue production of a documentary that looks at the public school education of Latino, African American, and working class children. We are visiting students who participated when we filmed their 5th grade class in 2004-5. They are now in high school. Please help us finish this documentary with support, contact information, and suggestions. See the latest sample.

Ya Basta! Texas Labor History looks at two events: the San Antonio Pecan Shellers' strike of 1938 and the struggle at Steven F. Austin University in Nacogdoches over race and gender discrimination from 1976-1984. Interviews include Larry Daves, Emily Jones, Latane Lambert, and Arthur Weaver as well as direct participants in both struggles. Please let us know if you have source material or know participants.