New Appalshop Film "Magenta" - Out Now

We are proud to share our newest film release—a short documentary titled Magenta, created by filmmaker Nik Lee. Magenta follows the staff of the Appalshop Archive as they work to restore materials damaged in a historic thousand-year flood, while also sharing their knowledge of how to preserve and care for the world's largest collection of Appalachian media.

Magenta has already received an honorable mention from the Athens International Monthly Art Film Festival in Athens, Greece! Nik, our Internal Media Coordinator, was kind enough to answer a few questions about their new film for our newsletter.

What inspired you to create Magenta?

Nik: Magenta came to be in a lot of ways, primarily as a way of getting attention on the archive when there were concerns about funding. As I was filming Shane Terry performing his daily routine at the archive, it became a bigger story. I don’t think anyone realizes the extent of the work that goes into saving and preserving Appalachian history. The more time I spent with the archive, the more I wanted people to know the incredible work they do on a daily basis. With all of the duties and responsibilities they have, they still made time for one person with a tub of flooded tapes and a hope that one or two could be saved. To me, that was so special.

What was the most surprising/interesting thing you learned about archival/preservation work while shooting this film?

Nik: One surprising thing I learned while shooting the film was just how durable physical film is. I visited the archive recently and saw Shane Terry clipping together salvaged film from the flood, which still had images on the surface that we could see with a magnifying glass. This film had been strewn over bridges, tree limbs, and highways, and yet it still had a story to tell.

What do you like most about working in short-form media?

Nik: Short-form media is what people gravitate towards now that social media has become a larger part of our world. It’s much easier to grasp a story told in smaller parts. It’s also easier to access. I like that short-form media can be posted anywhere and most people have the ability to see it without a paywall or a subscription.

Is there anything you want the viewer to consider as they watch your film?

Nik: I of course want viewers of the film to consider supporting the archive in what ways they can, but I also want to urge them to really value and protect the physical memories they hold onto. Put your scrapbook in an accessible place. Put the family camcorder in a safe location. Back up the pictures on your phone. You never know when you could lose these precious memories. When you’re building your emergency plan, make sure you have a plan for your family photos. Speaking from personal experience, you just don’t think of these things in the moment, but you will think of them later. Have a plan for your memories, too.

Magenta is the first piece of our new series—AppalShorts. These 10–15 minute documentary shorts can be produced and published more frequently, filling the gaps between our feature-length film releases, allowing us to tell new stories and explore alternative avenues of Appalachian storytelling. 

Magenta is available for free on YouTube. 

Become a Volunteer DJ

Do you want to hear your voice on the radio? Now is your chance! Become a volunteer DJ at WMMT 88.7FM! WMMT invites ALL experience levels and ALL music lovers, content-creators, and community members to join them on the airwaves in their 40-year legacy of sharing music and telling stories of the mountains. 

Fill out this form by the end of tomorrow, July 17th, to join a training session and learn all the ins and outs of being an on-air radio personality! There will be an in-person training at the WMMT Studios on July 20th @ 1PM and two virtual trainings on July 22nd & 23rd @ 6:30PM via Zoom—you only need to attend one! (NOTE: Although virtual trainings are offered, currently, WMMT DJs will still need to be in-studio to broadcast their shows).

And on July 20th, WMMT is hosting a Community Cookout—inviting new, current, and former WMMT DJs to have a meal, listen to tunes, and share stories about the best little radio station in the W-H-I-R-L-E-D. WMMT staff will be collecting memories from DJs and community members to honor the station’s 40th anniversary. If you’d like to sign up for an interview slot, visit WMMT.org and sign up via the pop-up link. The cookout will be at the WMMT studio at 253A East Main Street in Whitesburg, starting at 4 PM. 

In the meantime, head on over to WMMT.org, take a look at the current programming schedule, and listen live to get inspiration from the current DJs!

The Latest Mountain Talk

On the newest episode of WMMT’s Mountain Talk, Parker Hobson speaks with Fannie Callahan of Lee County as part of the ongoing Prevent Diabetes EKY project. Read the full description of the episode below, and listen here. 

“Even if diabetes runs in your family, if you find out that your own A1C, or blood sugar level, is in the diabetes range, that still doesn’t mean your future with diabetes is set in stone.

And Fannie Callahan, of Lee County, is living proof. Despite having a family history of diabetes, when Fannie found out her A1C had crossed over into the diabetes zone, she jumped into action, changing what she ate every day and starting to go out walking as often as she could. Before long, her A1C had fallen back down into a safer range, and, she says, she just felt better in general. This week on Mountain Talk, we visit with Fannie, as part of our ongoing storytelling series Prevent Diabetes EKY, and hear about her diabetes journey—including how, even if she’s exercising more, she still makes time to watch basketball.

Also this week: having immigrants for neighbors is nothing new in Appalachia. We close this episode with a profile of Frank Majority, a Letcher County stone mason of Italian descent, and the son of immigrants. In this piece, which was adapted from an episode of Appalshop’s Headwaters TV series (1983; dir. by Marty Newell, Anne Lewis, & Jeff Kiser), Majority describes his father’s experience as an immigrant to the mountains in the early 20th century.”

Mountain Talk airs weekly on WMMT-FM. View the broadcast schedule on WMMT’s website for more details and to listen live online for those outside of our broadcast zone. 

Want to Support Appalshop?  

Your support is vital to sustaining Appalshop's programming, which includes original films, WMMT-FM community radio, live performances (including the Seedtime on the Cumberland Festival), the Appalshop Archive, youth media training, and much, much more. Consider making a donation to support rural arts and media by visiting Appalshop.org/donate or clicking the picture below. We can't express our gratitude enough.