Photo Courtesy of Artist
Filmmaker
Boone, NC
Tom Hansell is a filmmaker, author, and educator whose work focuses on rural communities in southern Appalachia. His documentary work has screened at the Museum of Modern Art and has been included in the Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers. Hansell’s experimental films have been included in the Ann Arbor Film Festival’s touring program and screened at Big Ears. He is the recipient of grants and fellowships from the Headlands Center for the Arts, the Chorus Foundation, and North Carolina Arts Council. He began his career at the Appalshop media arts center, and he currently teaches at Appalachian State University.
For Riverlore, Tom will be presenting:
"Ancient New: Exploring the Oldest River in North America” by Tom Hansell, Trevor McKenzie and Julie Shepherd-Powell
Ancient New is a multi-media presentation that tells the story of human interaction of the New River through song, story, and dance. This project is a collaboration between filmmaker Tom Hansell, musician Trevor McKenzie, and dancer Julie Shepherd-Powell. Hansell has spent the past decade documenting life along the New River valley. During this live media performance, he will provide context for the images with spoken word, while McKenzie and Shepherd Powell provide a live soundtrack, weaving traditional songs punctuated with flatfoot dance from riverside communities.