CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.—March 12, 2010—Documenting local efforts to preserve Native American history appears important enough to get the attention of the film festival circuit. The Gatlinburg Screenfest recently announced official selections for the 2010 event with a Chattanooga-based documentary, produced locally by WTCI-TV, making the list of the ten finalists. Created in 2009 as a local tie-in to the PBS American Experience series, We Shall Remain, The Ground Beneath Us, directed and edited for WTCI by filmmaker Wallace Braud, is one of five documentaries slated to go before the judges and the public.

Shot in and around Chattanooga, The Ground Beneath Us portrays the work being done to help preserve the history of the Native American peoples that lived in this area and why it is important to protect this history. Interviews with archeologists, historians, Native American officials, students, and teachers, along with visits to historic sites, paint a broad portrait of the issue and it’s effect on the future of these peoples and their heritage.

Dedicated to the memory of those that suffered and died on the Trail of Tears, the program has been presented a number of times as a companion to the We Shall Remain series and at various Chattanooga area venues. WTCI received a grant from American Experience to support the production and outreach events for the series and worked with more than a dozen partners on the project. The Ground Beneath Us is scheduled to show at 2:15 pm, Saturday, March 27.

“This project was life changing for me,” says director Braud. “It is only a jumping off point regarding this important facet of our history. We all need to understand what contributions Native Americans made and make to our culture.”

WTCI’s recent history includes a number of local documentaries and programs, including: From Lookout Mountain to the Valley Below: Our National Park, Chattanooga Choo-Choo: Tracing the Tracks, Antiques Roadshow Chattanooga: Behind the Scenes, Heroes from the Valley, and Road to Riverbend.

"The Ground Beneath Us is a powerful testament to the history and culture of the people who inhabited this land long before us ," said Peter DeLynn, WTCI Senior Vice President of Production and Operations and Executive Producer of The Ground Beneath Us. "WTCI produces local documentaries and programs because, as a PBS station, we are committed to uncovering and telling the unique stories of the region we serve."

In its second year, The Gatlinburg Screenfest seeks to provide a venue for new regional and national films and is the only film festival in the Gatlinburg area. For three days, March 26-28, Screenfest occupies the meeting spaces of The River Terrace Hotel & Convention Center, in downtown Gatlinburg. For more information, visit the Gatlinburg Screenfest web site at http://www.gatlinburgscreenfest.com. The Ground Beneath Us can be viewed online.

About We Shall Remain

American Experience’s We Shall Remain is a ground breaking mini-series and multi-media project that establishes Native history as an essential part of American history. Five 90-minute documentaries spanning 300 years tell the story of pivotal moments in U.S. history from the Native American perspective. The five-part documentary series is the product of a tremendous collaboration between Native and non-Native filmmakers, advisors, historians, and community leaders, placing Native American voices at the heart of the series. The series debuted on PBS in April and May 2009, and Episode 3—dedicated to the Trail of Tears—featured footage from the Chattanooga region, including Red Clay State Park, New Echota Historic Site, and the Chief Vann House. WTCI-TV (PBS) was chosen as one of five PBS stations from across the country to receive a $20,000 grant to create a community coalition to make local and regional connections to the national story presented by We Shall Remain. WTCI produced the local documentary, The Ground Beneath Us, with director and editor Wallace Braud, as a part of a broad outreach project that involved more than a dozen partners.

About WTCI-TV (PBS)

WTCI, PBS for the Tennessee Valley, has been helping the community “Be more connected” for 40 years by encouraging our viewers to engage more deeply in the world around them. WTCI was recently named the 2010 Nonprofit of the Year by the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce, a testament to the dedication of our staff, board of directors, and volunteers. WTCI reaches over 312,000 households and serves a total population of over 850,000 in a four-state, 35-county viewing area. Through quality programming and educational outreach services, WTCI can help you “Be More!”.