milesfrommaybe

Chad A. Stevens, aspiring Appalachian filmmaker, is the recipient of the 2009 Roy W. Dean New York Film Grant, “one of the largest film grant competitions in the world.”

The film, The Coal War, directed and produced by Chad A. Stevens, is the story of a symbol: one mountain destined to be destroyed by the coal industry and one woman’s struggle to save Coal River Mountain by creating the first sustainable energy project in the Appalachian coalfields, the Coal River Wind Farm. The film follows the story of Lorelei Scarbro and the Coal River Wind Campaign through to the final showdown – protests on the mountain, in a court of law, in the state legislature, in the governor’s office, and in the national offices of the EPA. As Scarbro says, “This is a David versus Goliath story. I know what we are doing is right, but just because you are right doesn’t mean you’ll win.”

The grant, which funds “films that expose and bring important information to light,” awards recipients an array of products, services and consultations from New York area sponsors.