Dukeville community featured in coal documentary
Published 12:05 am Saturday, April 15, 2017
- A November 2010 aerial photograph of the first holding basin that was being used to hold the coal ash from the coal-fired Buck Steam plant seen in the background. JON C. LAKEY / SALISBURY POST
DUKEVILLE — North Carolina’s 2-year-old coal ash controversy will be the topic of a documentary set to premiere later this month at the Tribeca Film Festival.
The documentary, “From the Ashes,” examines the history of coal in the United States, the long-term effects of the coal industry on communities and the future of coal.
The Dukeville community and several familiar faces for observers of North Carolina’s coal ash controversy are featured in the documentary. They include Dukeville resident Deborah Graham, Southern Environmental Law Center attorney Frank Holleman and Catawba Riverkeeper Sam Perkins.
Part of the documentary was filmed in Dukeville, which has dealt with questions about well-water quality for roughly two years. State law requires that Duke Energy provide a source of safe, permanent water to neighbors of its coal ash ponds by 2018.
“From the Ashes” is set to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City on April 26. Graham said she has been invited to attend the world premiere.
The documentary was produced by Sidney Beaumont and RadicalMedia in partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies. It was directed by Michael Bonfiglio. Executive producers were Joe Berlinger, Jon Kamen, Katherine Oliver and Justin Wilkes.
National Geographic acquired the rights to the film. After its premiere in New York, the documentary will have a limited theatrical release and air June 25 on the National Geographic Channel.
“’From the Ashes’ is an important documentary that underscores one of the most dominant and controversial industries in the history of the United States,” said National Geographic Global Networks CEO Courteney Monroe in a news release. “The film explores the reality of coal’s role in climate change while offering insight into solutions that could help revive the struggling economies of dying mining towns and still safeguard the environment.”
For more information about the documentary, visit fromtheashesfilm.com.