Boone Docs Film Fest
a short-form documentary film festival celebrating life in Appalachia
Saturday February 24, 2024 at 2 p.m. - 5 p.m. Lobby doors open at 1:30 p.m.
Regular $12* *inclusive of tax & fees General Admission (non-reserved seating)
All Ages (children under age of 17 must be accompanied by parent/legal guardian)
General Admission (non-reserved) Seating
The Boone Docs Film Festival will screen 10 juried documentary shorts reflecting on and celebrating life in the Appalachian region. The festival will be held at the Appalachian Theatre in Boone, North Carolina, on Saturday, Feb. 24 from 2 – 5 p.m. In addition to the films being screened, the event includes the announcement of the “Jury’s Choice,” “Best Student Film” and “Audience Choice” award winners.
Boone Docs Film Festival, a celebration of Appalachia, is a collaboration between the Appalachian Theatre and Appalachian State University faculty Beth Davison, Tom Hansell and Anne Ward. The screening is arranged in 2 blocks, and will include Q&A from the filmmakers.
Subjects of the documentary shorts selected for the festival are wide ranging and include: goat farming, sports, nature, hand crafted goods, music, scientific research, immigration, grief and the legacy of Kituwah, a Cherokee mound in western North Carolina.
About BooneDocs Film Fest - Jury selected short-form documentary films with a dedicated focus of living, working, and celebrating life in the Appalachian Region of the United States.
Films will be screened in blocks and filmmakers will offer short Q&A sessions following each block of films.
From The Appalachian Region Commission - "Appalachia is made up of 423 counties across 13 states and spans 206,000 square miles, from southern New York to northern Mississippi. The Region’s 26 million residents live in parts of Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia, and all of West Virginia."
For 2024, the festival expands to include programming on Friday evening Feb. 23 at 7PM with support from South Arts in presenting featured artist of 2024 BooneDocs, Elaine McMillion Sheldon, and a screening of their feature-length documentary “King Coal” (2023), followed by a discussion and Q&A with the filmmaker. This screening is FREE & open to the public. Visit elainemcmillionsheldon.com to learn more.
2024 Festival Short-Form Documentary Selections:
Briscoe: Man of Science and Substance / Directed by Emma Dacol - tells the story of African American scientist, Dr. Madison Spencer Briscoe. Born in 1904, less than 50 years after the abolition of slavery, Dr. Briscoe overcame great adversity to make important contributions to the fields of parasitology and entomology and advance the sciences at Storer College, one of West Virginia’s first colleges for African Americans.
Director’s Bio: Emma Dacol holds an MFA in Film and Electronic Media from American University and a BA in Biology from Goucher College. She is currently a professor at Baltimore County Community College, a K-12 media educator, and a freelance media producer. Emma cares deeply about creating a fair and peaceful world for all living beings and hopes to inspire environmental stewardship and social responsibility through her films. Her work can be viewed at www.emmadacol.com.
Cottonwood Handmade / Directed by Jenna Michalski - Cole Avery found his love of leather-making by accident. Soon enough, he became obsessed with the process. Cottonwood Handmade ties back to his family roots and grandfather's cattle farm in Covington, Georgia. He centers his work around handmade, quality materials built to last. All of his products are cut, hammered, and stitched with his two bare hands and they can be found at the locals farmer market and online.
Director’s Bio: Jenna Michalski graduated with a degree in Commercial Photography from Appalachian State University where she found her interest in film production. From directing, filming, and editing, she enjoys cinematography the most. Although, she appreciates the relationships formed throughout these productions. Jenna hopes to continue work as a cinematographer in Chicago, Illinois.
Everybody Loves Maako / Directed by Yndiana Montes Fogelquist - A 15-minute documentary about a classical violinist from Tokyo, Japan, who earns her master’s degree in Appalachian Studies at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. In the process, she learns to be an Old Time music fiddler, mostly while she is secluded in her Boone cottage during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Director’s Bio: Yndiana Montes Fogelquis, a non-traditional student and I’m not from Appalachia originally. I come from Caracas, Venezuela. I was a travel writer for almost three decades so where I can get a beautiful feeling, a sense of place, I am able to feel at home. I decided to enroll in the M.A. program in Appalachian Studies and it has been a natural fit, and one of the he best decision I’ve made in my adult life. Curious by nature and a journalist by profession, I’m really into the culture, the people, and learning about those who have paved the road for the new generations of Appalachians. One of the aspects of the culture of the region I have come to love is the music. My studies have put me in touch with some of the most accomplished musicians of the region.
Having spent these last years making experiential videos for my social media platforms, one of my goals was to learn documentary film making in order to document some of the amazing things I've seen here. I’m enjoying a much quieter life here in the Appalachian Mountains, embracing sustainable living, sustainable development, sustainable tourism, and engaging with food security campaigns, community based research, climate change activism, jazz and folk festivals in the state, and a healthy life style.
Finding Home / Directed by Sidney Beeman - Finding Home, follows the journey of a young Burmese immigrant, Cing Khek, and her family as they search for opportunities to build a new and better life in the conservative stronghold of West Virginia. The film depicts the ethnic diversity of the Appalachian region, the economic forces causing people to migrate to this area, and the choices individuals make to stay within the region. At its core, the film empowers a diverse cast of Appalachian citizens to reclaim their own narrative in a region that is often dominated by stereotypes.
Director’s Bio: My roots are Appalachian, in a small corner of western Maryland. I have been working in video storytelling for over seven years, serving as editor, producer, and cinematographer on a variety of projects. I graduated with my BA degree in Mass Communication with a focus in video production at Frostburg State University. I continued my education at Wake Forest University in the Documentary Film Program in order to gain my MFA.
I did not originally go into film hoping to talk about the culture and issues of Appalachia, but I began to realize that I wanted to share my unique experience for others to see how different Appalachia and rural communities are compared to their preconceived notions. Now, more than ever, I feel a profound need for stories that bridge the gaps between us and forge connections not only among ourselves but also with the very land we call home. As an Appalachian filmmaker, I have the privilege to offer a unique lens through which we can explore the diverse tapestry of this region, unveiling the triumphs, struggles, and rich cultural heritage that define our collective identity. I know that the stories I capture and bring to life have the ability to ignite empathy, understanding, and transformation. With every frame I shoot, every interview I conduct, I strive to illuminate the untold stories and amplify the voices to reclaim their own narrative in a region often dominated by stereotypes. The stories I choose to tell today hold the power to shape the world I envision for tomorrow—a world that celebrates the resilience, beauty, and untapped potential of Appalachia.
Football Town / Directed by Sammy Osmond - Tensions come to a head in a rapidly-growing college town when the school’s football team pulls off the latest in a string of miraculous upsets and ESPN comes calling.
Director’s Bio: Sammy Osmond is a documentary filmmaker and graduate student in Appalachian Studies at Appalachian State University in his home town of Boone, North Carolina. He is a South Arts In These Mountains Fellow, a position which enables him to travel the region conducting dozens of interviews with Appalachian artists and tradition-bearers for archival purposes. He has made several documentary shorts ranging in topics from ice cream trucks to college football.
Heritage Homestead Farm / Directed by Samuel Byrd - A short documentary film about a goat dairy in Jefferson NC. Through an Interview with Carol Coulter, we learn more about her and her husbands business and why supporting local producers matters.
Director’s Bio: Samuel Byrd, I believe everyone has something to give to the world to make it a better place. Whether an artisan pouring their soul into a piece or a simple smile, it is our choice how much we give. I am photographer based in Charlotte, NC and work with forward thinking companies and individuals that strive to leave their mark.
In the Rearview / Directed by Meagan Massa - As two siblings - the filmmaker and her bother - look back on a road trip with their father 20 years ago, they discover their memories have faded, but the feelings they share remain the same.
Director’s Bio: Meagan Massa earned a BFA in Filmmaking with a focus on Directing from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. She is a founding partner of Atlanta-based production company Chorus Films, where she produces commercial and video content for advertising agencies, brands, and business clients.
Lady D / Directed by Ethan Payne - Lady D, aka "West Virginia's First Lady of Soul" takes us on a journey through history. Along the way, she ruminates on being the only black female blues singer in West Virginia.
Director’s Bio: Ethan is a documentary filmmaker based in Atlanta, Ga. His work has been featured in Pitchfork, Stereogum, Oxford American, ArtsATL, Southern Foodways Alliance, Appalshop and The Bitter Southerner. His award-winning short documentaries have made international festival rounds and his first feature-length documentary "The Green Flash" is in post-production.
Mothertown / Directed by Anthony Sneed - The site of the original settlement of the Cherokee, the Kituwah mound, was thought lost for centuries. In her moving retelling of the efforts to reclaim the tribe’s land, former Chief Joyce Dugan and fellow tribe members foreground the spiritual, emotional, and social impact of Kituwah’s legacy. This is the story of how the Cherokee finally took their “land back.”
Director’s Bio: Anthony Sneed is an award-winning Cherokee filmmaker (EBCI) who lives and works in Brooklyn, New York, and Cherokee, North Carolina. In 2008, he landed the lead role in Frank Henenlotter’s horror-comedy “Bad Biology.” The two have since collaborated on the films “Chasing Banksy” and the award-winning doc “Boiled Angels: The Trial of Mike Diana.” During this time, Anthony spent six years studying comedy at New York’s Upright Citizens Brigade and Magnet Theaters, where he performed regularly on sketch and improv house teams. In 2018, his directorial debut, the dark-comedy short “SUCK,” premiered at Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal. He’s since graduated from the director program at the prestigious American Film Institute in Los Angeles where he completed his thesis film “Kush: A Bubblegum Western”. Since graduating, Anthony’s short “SWIPE” has won numerous awards, including Best Comedy at Cleveland International Film Festival. In 2021, he was featured in CAA’s MOEBIUS Film Festival and was a finalist in Disney’s Launchpad Season 2. His newest short, “STRIPPER,” shot entirely on the Cherokee Indian Reservation with an all indigenous cast, has recently been completed and is now submitting to festivals. He’s currently in production on his feature documentary “Bastards of the Boundary: Indian Stickball,” which chronicles a year in the lives of stickball team The Hummingbirds in the little-seen, violently beautiful game of Indian Stickball aka “The Little Brother of War”.
Was That Boulder Always There / Directed by Nancy Kangas & Josh Kun - Six pairs of Alabamians sit in the forest for an hour. They’re just supposed to talk. About what? Anything. Birds screech. Vines slowly strangle whatever trees they can get their tendrils on. Insects have constant sex. Or at least want it. In a place so alive, sometimes the thing to do is let yourself be quiet.
Director’s Bio: Nancy Kangas is a poet, filmmaker, and teaching artist. In the 1980s, she began publishing Nancy’s Magazine and playing in folk punk bands in San Francisco. Her poems have appeared in online and print journals, and in 2018, she co-directed Preschool Poets, a series of animations based on her students’ poems.
Josh Kun, an award-winning director and cinematographer, studied documentary film at Chapman University in Los Angeles. For five years he produced short documentaries for the Dutch-based television show, Metropolis. Now based in Brooklyn, he works as a freelance director of photography on commercial and theatrical film projects.
Know Before You Go
THIRD PARTY SELLERS / SECONDARY MARKET
Tickets for events at the Appalachian Theatre of the High Country are sold exclusively through the theatre box office and online at AppTheatre.org . We DO NOT partner with third party sellers. We DO NOT accept tickets sold on the secondary market. We reserve the right to decline entry if you are not the original ticket buyer.
Tickets purchased from alternative sources may be any or all of the following:
· Not authentic
· Over-priced
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The Appalachian Theatre of the High Country (ATHC) is not responsible for tickets purchased from third party vendors and is not able to honor, replace or refund invalid tickets. Please purchase your tickets from approved sources.
PARKING INFORMATION
Please carefully read the information and instructions below to ensure the best experience when you visit the theatre.
Metered street parking and pay lots are monitored and parking is enforced Monday – Saturday from 8 a.m. until 5 pm except on town observed holidays.
Parking is $1.00/hour at all metered parking spaces.
Metered & lot parking is free all day on Sundays and every day after 5 p.m.
Parking in Appalachian State parking lots (e.g. the Peacock Lot accessed off of Howard Street) is available for free on week nights after 7 p.m. and on non-gameday/event weekends on Saturday and Sunday.
Accessible Parking:
Parking in metered parking areas is free, as long as the correct placard/license plate is displayed and up to date.
ATHC does not own or operate any parking lots or meters and cannot accept responsibility for any parking mishaps or fees.
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