Neal Hutcheson Explained

Neal Hutcheson (born 1969) is an American filmmaker, photographer, and author. He has received three regional Emmy Awards for documentaries on regional culture, language, and identity.^{[1] [2] [3]} He has produced 17 television documentaries on topics such as Appalachian culture, heritage fisheries on the North Carolina Outer Banks, Cherokee language preservation efforts, African American vernacular speech, and climate change.^{[4] [5]} Hutcheson’s most visible work has featured Popcorn Sutton, a moonshiner from Western North Carolina.^{[6] [7] [8] [9]} The Moonshiner Popcorn Sutton, a book of photos, interviews and essays by Hutcheson, was released in 2021 and received a National Indie Excellence Award and the Outstanding Book—Independent Spirit Award from The Independent Publisher Book Awards, the largest unaffiliated book contest in the world, and was the grand prize winner of the 30th Annual Writer's Digest Self-Published Book Awards.^{[10] [11] [12]} Hutcheson works as a producer for the Language & Life Project at North Carolina State University and is a contributing producer to independent production companies Empty Bottle Pictures and Sucker Punch Pictures.^{[13] [14]}

Selected filmography

• The Prison Sutras (documentary short, 1997)^[15]
• Jornada del Muerto (documentary short, 1998)
• Indian by Birth—The Lumbee Dialect (documentary short, 1999)^[16]
• Mountain Talk (2004)^[17]
• Voices of North Carolina (2005)
• The Queen Family—Appalachian Tradition and Back Porch Music (documentary short, 2006)
• The Prince of Dark Corners (2007)^[18]
• The Carolina Brogue (documentary short, 2008)
• The Outlaw Lewis Redmond (2008)
• The Last One—Moonshine in Appalachia (2009)^[19]
• Core.Sounders—Living from the Sea (2014)^{[20] [21] [22] [23]}
• Popcorn Sutton—A Hell of a Life (2014)^{[24] [25]}
• First Language—The Race to Save Cherokee (Neal Hutcheson, Danica Cullinan, 2015)^[26]
• Talking Black in America (Neal Hutcheson, Danica Cullinan, 2019)^[27]
• Signing Black in America (Danica Cullinan, Neal Hutcheson, 2020)^{[28] [29]}
• Land and Water Revisited / Revisitando Tierra y Agua (Kirk French, Elijah Hermitt, Neal Hutcheson, 2021)^[30]
• Talking Black in America—Roots (2022)

Author

• “Smoky Mountain English: If These Hills Could Talk.”^[31]
• “Gary Carden: Folklorist, Playwright, and Storyteller.” (North Carolina Folklore Journal, 2006)^[32]
• “Inclemented that Way.” (Jonathan Williams: The Lord of Orchards, 2017)^{[33] [34]}
• “Negotiating Language Presentation: Linguists, Communities, and Producers.”^[35]
• The Moonshiner Popcorn Sutton (2021)^[36]

Honors

• Artist’s Fellowship, North Carolina Arts Council, 2005^[37]
• The North Carolina Film Award, 2008 Carolina Film and Video Festival
• Emmy, Cultural Documentary, 2009, Southeast region^[38]
• Brown-Hudson Folklore Award, North Carolina Folklore Society, 2011^[39]
• Emmy Nomination, Cultural Documentary, 2015 Midsouth region
• Best Public Service Film, 2015 American Indian Film Festival^[40]
• Best Regional Documentary, 2015 Native American Film Festival of the Southeast
• Best Documentary, 2015 Red Rock Film Festival
• Emmy, Cultural Documentary, 2016, Midsouth region^[41]
• Emmy, Cultural Documentary, 2020, Midsouth region^[42]
• Emmy Nomination, Cultural Documentary, 2021, National Capital Chesapeake Bay region^[43]
• 2022 Outstanding Book — Independent Spirit Award, Independent Publisher Book Awards^[44]
• 2022 National Indie Excellence Award, 16th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards^[45]
• Grand Prize Winner, 30th Annual Writer's Digest Self-Published Book Awards, 2022.
• Emmy Nomination, Historical Documentary, 2023, Southeast region^[46]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Admin . Popcorn Sutton film wins regional Emmy . Smoky Mountain News . 30 November 2020.
2. Web site: Midsouth Emmy Winners . NATAS Nashville/Midsouth . 1 December 2020.
3. Web site: 34th MIDSOUTH REGIONAL EMMY® AWARD WINNERS . NATAS Nashville Midsouth . 30 November 2020.
4. Web site: Neal Hutcheson . Quail Ridge Books . 30 November 2020.
5. Web site: Bonnabeaux . Maddy . Walking the line of documentary filmmaking . Technician . 24 February 2016 . 30 November 2020.
6. Web site: Exploding moonshine: The new golden age of outlaw liquor . CNN . 17 June 2015 . 30 November 2020.
7. Web site: The Last One . Amazon Prime Video . 30 November 2020.
8. Web site: This Is The Last Dam Run of Likker I'll Ever Make . Amazon Prime Video . 30 November 2020.
9. Web site: McDonald . Glenn . Documentary filmmaker keeps focus local with new projects . The News & Observer . 30 November 2020.
10. Web site: 16th Annual Winners National Indie Excellence Awards California . 2022-07-04 . indie-excellence . en.
11. Web site: 2022 Medalists- Outstanding . 2022-07-04 . ippyawards.com.
12. Jones . Amy . March 1, 2023 . To Write a Legend: Neal Hutcheson on Writing The Moonshiner Popcorn Sutton . Writer's Digest . 52–54.
13. Web site: People . The Language & Life Project . 30 November 2020.
14. Web site: The Crew . Land and Water Revisited . 30 November 2020.
15. Web site: Goodwin . Andrew . A survey of the second annual International Buddhist Film Festival . Tricycle . 30 November 2020.
16. Web site: Estes . Roberta . Indian by Birth: The Lumbee Dialect . Native Heritage Project . 5 December 2013 . 30 November 2020.
17. Web site: Fellerath . David . Neal Hutcheson . Indy Week . 10 September 2003 . 30 November 2020.
18. Web site: Purcell . Nancy . Prince of Dark Corners . North Carolina Writers' Network-West . 13 July 2008 . 30 November 2020.
19. Web site: Calemine . James . The Last One: Moonshine In Appalachia Neal Hutcheson's Documentary: Popcorn Sutton . Snake Nation Press . 30 November 2020.
20. Web site: Core Sound fishermen are celebrated in film to premiere at the Museum of History . Carolina Coast Online . 28 February 2013 . 30 November 2020.
21. Web site: Down East documentary to premiere . JD News . 30 November 2020.
22. Web site: Stasio . Frank . Blyde . Christina . Film Documents The Core Sound Community's Struggles . WUNC . 30 November 2020.
23. Web site: Drake . Miranda . Film Documents The Core Sound Community's Struggles . NC State News . 1 December 2020.
24. Web site: Motsinger . Carol . New movie focuses on WNC moonshiner Popcorn Sutton . Citizen Times . 30 November 2020.
25. Web site: Introducing Filmmaker Neal Hutcheson! . Indie Grits . 30 November 2020.
26. Web site: Washburn . Mark . Film captures dying language in NC . The Charlotte Observer . 30 November 2020.
27. Web site: Barry, Jr. . Michael T. . "Talking Black in America": A New Film on African American English . Black Perspectives . 13 June 2017 . AAIHS . 30 November 2020.
28. Web site: Signing Black in America: The Story of Black American Sign Language . NCDHHS . 30 November 2020.
29. Web site: Robinson . Jennifer . Signing Black In America . KPBS . 5 October 2020 . 30 November 2020.
30. Web site: Rushton . Geoff . State Theatre to Livestream Documentary Premiere, Q&A with Producers . StateCollege.com . 30 November 2020.
31. Mallinson . Christine . Childs . Becky . Anderson . Bridget . Hutcheson . Neal . Smoky Mountain English: If These Hills Could Talk . Language Magazine . 2003.
32. Hutcheson . Neal . Gary Carden: Folklorist, Playwright, and Storyteller . North Carolina Folklore Journal . 2006.
33. Web site: Skinner . Paul . Jonathan Williams: The Lord of Orchards . Reconstructionary Tales . 17 September 2018 . 1 December 2020.
34. Book: Beam . Jeffery . Owens . Richard . Jonathan Williams: The Lord of Orchards . 2017 . Prospecta Press . Westport and New York . 978-1-63226-087-1.
35. Book: Reaser . Jeffrey . Wilbanks . Eric . Wojcik . Karissa . Wolfram . Walt . Language Variety in the New South: Contemporary Perspectives on Change and Variation . 2018 . University of North Carolina Press . Chapel Hill . 448.
36. Book: Hutcheson, Neal . The Moonshiner Popcorn Sutton . 2021 . Forewords by David Joy and Kirk French. 978-0-578-65414-0 . 1st . Raleigh, North Carolina . 1256405840.
37. Web site: Artist Fellowship Recipients . NC Arts Council . 1 December 2020.
38. Web site: Ford . D'Lyn . Golden Moment . The Bulletin . 1 December 2020.
39. Web site: McGowan . Thomas . Wolfram . Walt . 2011 BHFA — Neal Hutcheson: Maker of Documentaries on North Carolina Folklife and Language . North Carolina Folklore Society . 30 November 2020.
40. Web site: Winter . Brent . Film Brings Cherokee Language to Life . NC State University News . 1 December 2020.
41. Web site: Midsouth Emmy Winners . NATAS Nashville/Midsouth . 1 December 2020.
42. Web site: Moylan . Heather . NC State-Produced Documentary Wins Emmy Award . NC State News . 24 February 2020 . 1 December 2020.
43. Web site: 26 June 2021 . Sixty Third Emmy Awards . National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter.
44. Web site: 2022 Medalists- Outstanding . 2022-07-04 . ippyawards.com.
45. Web site: 16th Annual Winners National Indie Excellence Awards California . 2022-07-04 . indie-excellence .
46. Web site: 2023 Official Results.pdf . 2024-01-29 . Google Docs.