News

Moonshine history wins Best Documentary

By Lightning Reports, Published: April 29, 2022

"The Spirits Still Move Them," David Weintraub's film about moonshine history, won Best Documentary in the Reedy Reels Film Festival in Greenville, South Carolina, the Center for Cultural Preservation announced.

"Unlike past moonshine films, 'Spirits' dispels the notion that all moonshiners were violent, lazy, drunk criminals hiding in the woods wearing long beards and longer arrest records," said David Weintraub, who produced and directed the film. "Instead, it took an incredible level of creativity, intelligence, wit and tenacity to live in these mountains before WalMarts and smartphones. People needed to know how to build things and make a living connected to the land. That's what the festival judges and thousands of audience members have appreciated since the film came out."

This film was made possible by Blue Ridge National Heritage Area Partnership, the Community Foundation of Henderson County and North Carolina Humanities. The Center for Cultural Preservation is a cultural nonprofit organization dedicated to working for mountain heritage continuity through oral history, documentary film, education and public programs. For more information about the Center contact them at (828) 692-8062 or www.saveculture.org