Feature-Length Films
Haw River Films has produced a number of award-winning documentaries.
GrassRoots Stages
- Distributed Nationally via NETA
A one-hour, single-camera journey into the world of the Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance, filmed in Trumansburg, New York.
Mountain Top Removal
- Reel Current Award, Nashville Film Fest
- Best Documentary, Charlotte Film Fest
- Jury Award, Wild & Scenic Festival
- Best Feature Doc., Woods Hole Film Fest
- Distributed Nationally on PBS via NETA
Award-winning documentary examining the expansion of mountaintop removal coal mining and its impacts on Southern Appalachia, with a focus on the grassroots resistance led by local citizens. Welcome to the Anthropocene.
Bimblebox
- Nominated, Best Environmental Documentary, 2012 Byron Bay Film Festival
Award-winning documentary following one woman’s efforts to stop China First, the world’s largest proposed coal mine in Queensland, Australia.
The Courthouse
- Midsouth Emmy Award Nominee
- Tarheel Tie-In Winner, Longleaf Film Festival
A Southern Gothic portrait of the rebuilding of the iconic courthouse in Pittsboro, North Carolina, after it was destroyed by fire.
“The past is never dead. It isn’t even past.”
— William Faulkner
A Beautiful Feeling
A follow-up to GrassRoots Stages and filmed a decade later, the Finger Lakes GrassRoots Music Festival expands to spring and fall events at Shakori Hills in North Carolina and the Virginia Key festival in Miami, Florida.
PBS Documentaries
Childe Hassam and the Isles of Shoals
- Midsouth Emmy Award Nominee
A profile of American Impressionist painter Childe Hassam, celebrating two of his works held by the North Carolina Museum of Art and exploring his connection to the Isles of Shoals.
The Hammocks
- Premiered at Wild and Scenic Film Festival, Nevada City California, 2018
Bear Island, along North Carolina’s coast, remained wild and undeveloped before becoming Hammocks Beach State Park. Its journey from a private estate to one of the few coastal areas accessible to African Americans during the segregation era reflects a broader story of America’s civil rights struggle.
New Bern: Spirit of Freedom
- Best Documentary, History: 2020 Longleaf Film Festival
An exploration of New Bern, North Carolina’s history from the pre-colonial era through the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation. Some scholars consider New Bern’s role during the war a key influence on President Lincoln’s path toward emancipation.
George Henry White: Searching for Freedom
- Midsouth Emmy Award Nominee
- Distributed Nationally via NETA
The story of North Carolinian George Henry White, the last African American congressman from eastern North Carolina before the rise of Jim Crow. His remarkable ascent and farewell speech in Congress stand as enduring testaments to perseverance and American democratic ideals.
Contact us for more information on these documentaries or to explore collaboration on a new project.
Haw River Films 