Short Film ‘Appalachian Awakening' By Mauricio Antón Available Online

From East Tennessee State University:

JOHNSON CITY – “Appalachian Awakening,” a short film giving an intimate look at the springtime wildlife of East Tennessee, is being featured online through the month of April. In addition, viewers will be able to join a virtual interview and Q&A with the producer on Earth Day – Thursday, April 22.

Producer Mauricio Antón is a paleoartist based in Madrid, Spain, who served as chairholder of East Tennessee State University’s Wayne G. Basler Chair of Excellence for the Integration of the Arts, Rhetoric and Science in the spring of 2020. During his time at ETSU, Antón not only taught paleoart classes at the university and worked with researchers at the Gray Fossil Site and Natural History Museum to create artwork depicting the ancient life of East Tennessee, but he also got up close and personal with local wildlife.

“I was looking forward to the opportunity to share my work with the students and to work with an amazing team of researchers, but I also anticipated the chance to enjoy the nature of the Appalachians,” Antón says. Equipped with only a small camcorder, he collected video footage from around the ETSU campus and such nearby sites as Smoky Mountains National Park, capturing the lives of all sorts of fascinating creatures, from salamanders to black bears.

For Antón, this experience was more than just observing nature. “For me, it was a state of mind, a mood that developed over time, a perception of being contained in and protected by the forest,” he explains, “and to reflect that mood, I composed a detailed soundtrack for the film, a musical tribute to the generosity of nature in Tennessee.”

The end result, “Appalachian Awakening,” comprises about half an hour of beautiful scenes from the plains and forests of East Tennessee, with a special focus on the emergence of wildlife in the spring, and featuring narration by Antón himself. “Appalachian Awakening” is available to watch through the end of April at youtu.be/66w_haQhUeE.

On April 22 at 2 p.m., the Gray Fossil Site and Museum will host a live virtual interview and Q&A with Antón. The online audience will have the opportunity to submit questions to Antón about “Appalachian Awakening” and his time among the wildlife of East Tennessee. The video will be streamed from the Gray Fossil Site Facebook page (facebook.com/grayfossilsite/videos/), where it will go live shortly before 2 p.m.

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News release by David Moscato, science communication specialist, ETSU Gray Fossil Site and Museum

This press release was produced by East Tennessee State University. The views expressed are the author's own.