Appalachian Mountains Lure Traveling Film Crew

Film crew overlooks mountaintop removal mining in Virginia

Appalachia's ancient mountains have long lured folks from around the globe to appreciate their gifts.  In recent years, the destruction of hundreds of those mountains has been attracting attention.  The latest crew to witness the site of mountaintop removal mining and learn about health and ecology issues in MTR communities visited from New Mexico while working on a new film.

Film writer and director Elizabeth Gaylynn Baker shared this perspective from her visit:

"William Gladstone said it first in the eighteen hundreds, and later it was attributed to Jimi Hendrix: 

'When the power of love replaces the love of power, our world will know peace.' 

My goal with this new documentary on climate change, and our desire to exploit cheap dirty energy, is to point out, with love and gentleness, that our true cost is amazingly high for we are murdering our mountains, our oceans, our animals and other living things - that indeed 'we know not what we do,' - and that because of our ignorance the real endangered species is man. 

Our hearts were moved by what we found as we traveled with you in Tennessee, and Virginia and Kentucky. My job, and joy, is to relay that message to the audience in pictures, words and sounds. I personally want to thank you for your interest and your support."

Film Director Elizabeth Gaylynn Baker (2nd from left) and Producer Aaron Taylor (far right) chat with residents on a day of documentary filming in Appalachia, Virginia.

Producer Aaron Taylor had this to say about his personal interest in telling Appalachia's MTR story: 

“Being a follower of Jesus I believe that ultimately following Jesus means to really advocate for the poor, because I believe Jesus stood for that more than anything.  So if structural issues perpetuate poverty and have a negative health effect on the poor then I think Christians and Christ followers should speak to those issues.”

Baker directed When Buffalo Roam, a film about the slaughter of native bison herds in Yellowstone National Park.  She also has a new book out in 2013 called Gifts of Gratitude. 

Baker's newest film still in production includes details of Christian group Restoring Eden's efforts to document health concerns in rural Appalachia.

Young lives lost, at risk