“When we started out we thought we’d make some DVDs and some old-time musicians would like to watch it,” Farmer said. “We had no idea where it would go. I was a little surprised because old-time and bluegrass musicians have been a big part of the audience, but a bigger part has been the Appalachian people. It has resonated particularly with the ones from migrant families. This is their story, too, because something depicting Appalachians in a positive, resourceful manner hasn’t really been done in narrative films.”
“The Mountain Minor” has also resonated with attendees of film festivals, where it has won numerous awards. The film, which is streaming now on Amazon Prime, also generated an unplanned soundtrack CD, which was released in October. In May 2121, some of the cast members of the film are scheduled to appear on the PBS series, “The Song of the Mountains.” Those are some serious accomplishments for a low-budget film from a first-time director in his early 60s.
Q: You were still promoting the film when the shutdowns hit in March. How did that impact your promotional campaign?
A: We were in our theater run. We had 20 public screenings and most of them were theaters, but some were at community centers and that kind of thing. We had a whole bunch more scheduled and then March came along and so we had to cancel those screenings.
Q: Like so many filmmakers, you changed course and went to streaming, right?
A: Yeah, our goal is to have as many people see it as possible. We put it up on Amazon Prime so people who have that can watch it for free. Then, we pitched it to some of the Public Television channels. We got it in Kentucky and West Virginia and, now, Ohio, and hopefully on some other PBS channels out there. We just want people to watch it. We’re never going to make any money off the movie but that’s not why we were in it to begin with.
Q: Since it’s streaming on Amazon, why is PBS important?
A: The film has really resonated with older people and a lot of them aren’t watching Amazon Prime so these PBS showings are really important. People in their 60s, 70s, 80s and even 90s like it because there aren’t films out there anymore that they’ll watch. The film industry is targeted toward the demographic that pays the money so they’re just not making movies for old people anymore. This one wasn’t necessarily made for old people but it has really resonated with them, especially the older Appalachian people.
Q: You released the film’s soundtrack on CD in October. When did you decide to do that?
A: We had no intention of making a soundtrack. Our engineering standards weren’t great because we recorded everything live on set with a single microphone up in the air but everybody kept asking for it. We decided to go ahead and do a CD and see what happens. The reviews have all been really good. I don’t want to say I’m surprised by it because the music is really good but they’re like field recordings so there’s a certain amount of roughness.
Q: In addition to the film airing on PBS, next year some of the cast members are supposed to appear on “The Song of the Mountains.” Will that still happen?
A: They’re taping it in front of a live audience on May 1. With COVID, I’m not actually sure when it will be on TV. They may do a livestream but that’s a huge honor. That’s a show I watch regularly and I never dreamed I’d actually be on it someday.
Q: Sinclair Community College is using the film in its Appalachian Outreach Program. How does that work?
A: They have a lot of Appalachian students who are first-generation college students. There are a lot of challenges that aren’t exactly unique to the Appalachian folks but are pretty common challenges of being the first one in your family to go to college. There is a lot of pressure there so the program provides a lot of counseling to Appalachian students and helps them deal with different challenges. That’s been a very good experience.
Q: Do you know what your next film will be?
A: Yeah, I do. I’m ready to move on to the next project but Fred, our publicist, keeps me busy promoting this one. (He chuckles.) I have a new script written and ready to go. It’s just a matter of getting the wheels turning and that’s like pushing a freight train by yourself. I’m trying to find some producers to work with me on it.
Contact contributing arts and music writer Don Thrasher at donthrasher100@gmail.com.
HOW TO WATCH
What: “The Mountain Minor” Saturday, Dec. 19 through Friday, Dec. 25
Where: ThinkTV 16.1
When: 8 p.m. Saturday
Where: ThinkTV 16.2 (16 Again)
When: 8 p.m. Sunday, 1 a.m. Monday and Friday, 10 a.m. and 1 and 10 p.m. Tuesday, 3 and 8 a.m. Wednesday and 3 p.m. Thursday
More info: www.themountainminormovie.com.
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