'The Last Mountain' Brings a Kennedy and the Appalachian Mountains to Chilmark

Martha's Vineyard is no stranger to the energy debate, but mountain top coal mining may not be the first thing that springs to mind when you think of local energy issues. However, those attending the Martha's Vineyard Film Festival's (MVFF) screening of "The Last Mountain," a documentary by Bill Haney, may find the Island's debate for and against Cape Wind comes full circle.

"The Last Mountain" focuses on the devastating effects of mountain-top coal removal in West Virginia’s Coal River Valley—and how area residents and activists, who are standing up to the industry that is so deeply embedded in the region, are offering wind power as a solution to their problems.

"In March we showed the film 'Windfall' that is about a community divided by wind power. This is a film about community united by wind power," said MVFF Managing Director Brian Ditchfield. The film features Robert Kennedy, Jr., who is known as one of the nation's, and the world's, leading environmental activists and advocates, as well as being the son of the late Robert F. Kennedy.

Ditchfield, who attended film festivals all over the world to help choose the ones to be screened here on the Island this summer, was especially moved by "The Last Mountain." "Not only does it stand out in quality of filmmaking and story," said Ditchfield, "but there is such local relevance too in terms of the Island's connection to wind power and to the Kennedy family, as well."

The Last Mountain is directed by Bill Haney and is, simply put, about the fight for the last great mountain in Appalacia. The large, corporate coal industry wants to blow up the mountain, as they have done to all the other area mountains, in order to access the coal underneath the mountain top, and the small community of families who live there are fighting to build a wind farm on the mountain ridge instead.

While our Island community struggles to understand where they stand in terms of wind farms, the film—one that advocates wind energy as opposed to coa—also exposes many of the bad practices of large corporations who stand to earn a profit from the creation of energy. "The film definitely lays some truths on what corporate energy can do to a community," said Ditchfield. "And that has a lot of local relevance."

MVFF is bringing both filmmaker Haney and Kennedy in for the after-film question-and-answer session that usually runs about 20 minutes. During this time both Haney and Kennedy will be able to offer information on what can be done to help stop the mountain-top coal mining. "Quite often our films create new activists," said Ditchfield, "It is part of our mission to spark discussion, debate and action and we see the debate and discussion often becoming an entrance to action."

With such an honored guest as Robert Kennedy, Jr., tickets are expected to sell out and Ditchfield advises buying them ahead of time. They are available for purchase on-line at www.tmvff.org until noon on the day of the screening and after that you can order over the phone by calling 508-645-9599. The event is sponsored by Beetlebung Tree Care.

The Last Mountain will screen Wednesday, August 17, at 8 p.m. at the Chilmark Community Center. Tickets are $14, $7 for Film Festival members.