Past Featuresd Films

Hemp and the Rule of Law (DOCUMENTARY, 54 minutes, 45 seconds)
Kevin Balling

Thirty-one countries including Canada, England and the European Union now grow hemp. Although it has no psychoactive potential, hemp shares the same plant family as marijuana (cannabis). The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration makes no distinction between hemp and marijuana, and the United States remains the only industrialized country where farmers are not permitted to grow it. Blending history with current events, Hemp and the Rule of Law traces the crop's legendary past in U.S. agriculture and chronicles the politically-charged debate to return the crop to American farmers. This engaging documentary addresses renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, national security, the war in Iraq, and examines hemp's role in achieving a “green” industrial future.

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Filmmaker Profile:  KEVIN BALLING

Kevin Balling has been producing independent video in North Carolina for twenty years. He is a two-time recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts regional fellowship, as well as a North Carolina Fellowship for Video and Film. His work has been funded through the Foundation for Independent Video and Film, The Beldon Fund, The Benton Foundation, The Kaltenborn Foundation, Greenpeace, and The Sierra Club to name a few. Kevin has been on the faculty of Appalachian State University since 1982. In addition to Hemp and the Rule of Law, Kevin has produced several independent videos including Voices From The Garden which chronicles the struggle of the Cree and Inuit people of northern Quebec to stop hydroelectric development on their land, Doc and Merle, an inside look into the lives and music of Doc and Merle Watson, While the Ages Roll On... A Memorial, a documentary on the tradition and ritual of The Old Regular Baptists of central Appalachia, Strands which deals with societies' obsession with their hair, and Benediction is a 14-minute experimental video shot entirely within a garden. Balling has also collaborated with performance artist Catherine Altice on All The King's Men, a video/performance at the Weatherspoon Gallery in Greensboro, N.C. Balling has done production work for a number of commercial clients including CBS, ESPN, Home Team Sports, The Black Entertainment Network, IBM, Appalachian Voices, Cierra Arabian Horse Farms and many others. Balling lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains with his wife Catherine Altice, who is a painter.