PBS to share local filmmaker's documentaries with national audience

David Weintraub, local filmmaker of more than 40 documentary films in conjunction with the Center for Cultural Preservation, has signed a deal with PBS to distribute four of his feature-length films to public television stations around the country.

The films are "Call of the Ancient Mariner" about sea turtles and human culture, "A Great American Tapestry," "Many Strands of Mountain Music" about the history of Southern Appalachian music, "Guardians of Our Troubled Waters" about the river heroes of the South, and "They Who Overcame" about how Appalachian people overcame pandemics, famine and floods.

“My focus has always been to show my films through community screenings to cultural institutions, schools and churches. That gives me the opportunity to discuss the issues my films raise and help folks better reconnect with history that’s often misrepresented in popular culture," Weintraub said in a news release. 

"But I can’t reach everyone that way, so I’m excited that in addition to regional PBS stations picking up my films (as they’ve done for more than a dozen years), as many as 300 additional stations around the country will now broadcast these films. It's a wonderful validation of the power of Southern Appalachian culture.”

Weintraub’s films will begin their national run at the end of 2021 and beyond. Check local listings for their release. 

The Center for Cultural Preservation’s newest film will focus on how native culture and their stories can help us reconnect to nature.

To support the center’s work and its unique mission to preserve the living history of Southern Appalachian communities, visit SaveCulture.org or call 828-692-8062.