Knox County Public Library, Knoxville, TN

A Dogwood Arts First Friday Film Festival

Join us on First Friday, April 2 in the East Tennessee History Center, 601 S. Gay St. for a free film festival presented by the Tennessee Archive of Moving Image and Sound, the McClung Historical Collection of the Knox County Public Library, and the East Tennessee History
Society.

6:30 p.m.: Dogwood Arts Festival Footage
Take a trip back into Knoxville's past as we revisit the early years of the Dogwood Arts Festival, depicted through historic and rarely-seen film footage selected from the McClung Historical Collection's WBIR-TV newsfilm archive. Classic beauty pageants, visiting celebrities and parades down 1960s' Gay Street make for a wonderfully nostalgic viewing experience. Along the way you’ll catch glimpses of historic moments in downtown Knoxville history.

7:15 p.m.: The Fool Killer
Set during the late 1800s, the film features Perkins as Milo, a disturbed, shell-shocked Civil War veteran who suffers from amnesia and may well be the murderous ax-wielding "Fool Killer" of local legend. Part Psycho, part southern gothic melodrama, The Fool Killer can’t seem to make up its mind which direction to take…so it takes them all. The Fool Killer had its world premier at the Tennessee Theatre during the 1965 Dogwood Arts Festival. Rarely screened today.

Hear the Story Behind the Heartland Series

Get a behind the scenes look at The Heartland Series at a special talk with Bill Landry, February 18, 5 p.m. at UT's Baker Center. Don't forget you can find the series at the Library! (check it out here)

James Agee Centennial Film Festival

It's the 100th anniversary of the birth of James Agee. In his lifetime, Agee was known for his film criticism, screenplays and other film work. To celebrate, Knox County Public Library has teamed up with TAMIS (Tennessee Archive of Moving Image and Sound) and the University of Tennessee to present the James Agee Centennial Festival. Join us for screenings of movies that influenced him, those that were championed by him, and even Agee's own work. It's an amazing collection of unique and rarely seen films, paired with lectures and commentaries by James Agee scholars.See the schedule here.

A Rare Screening of The Electric Valley Complements The Big Read

Check out a rare screening of Ross Spears's 1983 documentary The Electric Valley on Tuesday, October 21, 7 p.m. at the East Tennessee History Center. Wilma Dykeman narrates the film with appearances by Al Gore Sr., David Lillenthal, Arthur Morgan and others who were directly involved in the agency's creation.

The Electric Valley is the first independent film to tell the story of the TVA and is a tale of one of the most interesting, controversial federal agencies ever created. In 1933, the TVA was given the broadest possible mission: to tame the forces of nature, create cheap energy, and produce a lasting prosperity in the Depression-wracked Tennessee Valley, a region the size of Great Britain. For better or worse, it touched peoples' lives in innumerable ways.

Media High, five short documentaries

Installment One:  The Struggle for Integration: Clinton, Tennessee

Ask most people where the first southern public school was integrated and they will probably say, "Little Rock, Arkansas--yeah. 'The Little Rock Nine.'" Seventeen year-old Media High student Madeline Brown would gently correct this mistake, explaining that the first integrated school in the south was in Clinton, Tennessee and the twelve brave African-Americans who attended Clinton High School in 1956 are 'The Clinton Twelve.' Madeline, or Maddie as her friends call her, discovered this truth in the process of creating a short documentary called "The Struggle for Integration: Clinton, Tennessee." With minimal assistance from Media High Director David Neil Drews and his assistant, Maddie assembled a poignant and inspiring story that pays tribute to several progressive participants in the Clinton struggle, people who were pivotal players in this crucial piece of history. In the short span of nine days, Ms. Brown researched and located several key interview subjects. The quality of these interviews reflects her diligent but kind approach. A second year Media High student and recent South Doyle graduate, Maddie is interested in studying journalism in college.

View her documentary at ListenUp.org and see her outstanding piece of history, journalism, and digital video. This is the first of five student documentaries that Media High will be releasing over the next six weeks.

From novel to film: the making of To Kill a Mockingbird

As part of our recent Big Read collaboration with the YWCA, the Library hosted discussions of the book To Kill A Mockingbird and a screening of the film. Gerald Wood, Dean of Humanites at Carson-Newman College and Barbara Moore, Professor in the School of Journalism and Electronic Media at the University of Tennessee joined us to discuss the film adaptation of the book. We recorded their remarks and you can download the recording here or use the player below.