A short film, written and produced by Jenny Kaiser in association with Gefen Productions will be shown on Tuesday, July 23 at the Carolina Theatre. The film, Forgotten Towns: Grundy played on PBS stations throughout the southeast this year. The screening will take place during the Carolina Theatre’s 12th annual Summer Film Festival immediately following the film Dirty Dancing.
Kaiser said, “This film is based on a small coal town in southwestern Virginia named Grundy. As the decrease in the coal industry occurred, I began to hear about the coal mines closing but no one was talking about the loss of jobs and the effect on the community. I wanted to tell the story of the people of Grundy who were impacted.”
Kaiser, Executive Producer, along with Director Mark Caudill and their crew, began the journey to find out more about Grundy in 2016. While filming, they followed three generations of a family for nine months. Each generation having a different perspective on the community and its future.
During production, Kaiser asked the family’s son-in- law what he was doing to help bring jobs to the region. His response was surprising. He was developing a partnership between Israel and Virginia to bring Israeli startups to the south-west part of the state. The people of Grundy do not want a bigger town to swoop in and save them, but rather, they want to save themselves.
To purchase tickets, visit www.carolinatheatre.com. We hope to see you there!