The Center for Civic Participation

County Judge: Documentary Film and Community Forums (Appalshop)

VOTER WORK

DESCRIPTION

*Read a detailed profile of Robert Salyers the filmmaker of the County Judge on the "Profiles of Exemplary, Arts, and Democracy Projects" page of our site.

Appalshop is a multi-disciplinary arts and education center producing original films, video, theater, music and spoken-word recordings, radio, photography, and books. Appalshop's education and training programs support communities effots to solve their own problems in a just and equitable way.

County Judge: a documentary film project funded through the Kentucky Humanities Council, Appalshop and EKU's Center for Appalachian Studies.

(project formerly called Native Politics)

"Out of a history so much ruled by the motto Think Big, we have come to a place and a need that requires us to think small." -- Wendell Berry

The County Judge documentary is a joint endeavor of Eastern Kentucky University and Appalshop. It is a campus-community partnership based in Letcher County, Kentucky that will explore the influence that enduring local traditions, attitudes, and growing mistrust of government has on how and why we vote.

The project will have two primary components; the production of a documentary film, and a series of forums facilitated by Eastern Kentucky students.

The Appalshop film production will focus on the 2006 election for County Judge-Executive in Letcher County, and will examine the history of County politics in Kentucky, the role of the Democratic and Republican parties in the region, and the level of public awareness and involvement in the process. Appalshop filmmakers will employ an observational and intimate style, following the campaign and election through close and direct contact with the candidates, magistrates, local power brokers, and county residents. Through the gaze of this immediate and unfolding story, the film will engage the audience around issues of civic commitment in local governance and investigate the increasing influence of corporate and private interests in political races.

The second piece will take the form of a series of Community Forums to be conducted by EKU students in Letcher County, prior to the primary election. The forums will address issues of community organizing and involvement in the political process. The filmmakers will document these discussions and incorporate them into the narrative structure of the film. This work will provide students first-hand access to the local political process and will be an excellent catalyst for education and a tool for respectful dialogue in the community.

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