Jefferson Public Radio and the Shasta County Historical Society have been awarded the 2014 Governor’s Historic Preservation Award for a collaborative film documenting the building of a Frank Lloyd Wright designed church in Redding, California.
The Wright Time: A History of the Pilgrim Congregational Church explores how the church, one of the last designed by the famous architect before his death, was constructed with the volunteer labor of the men, women and even children parishioners in the 1950s. The half hour documentary tells the story through interviews, archival photos and home movies, many of which had never been shown in public.
The award, announced today, is presented annually under the sponsorship of the State Office of Historic Preservation (OHP) and California State Parks to projects, individuals, and organizations whose contributions demonstrate significant achievements in preserving the heritage of California. The award will be presented in a ceremony November 20th in Sacramento to the film’s producers: Shasta Historical Society board members Sue Lang and Charley Williams, and JPR’s Northern California Program Coordinator Valerie Ing.
Lang says the honor, which is rarely bestowed upon a film, left her “a little gobsmacked. Never in a million years did I think we’d win this honor.” She says she’s thrilled because the church congregation was really pleased with the completed film. “It’s their story,” she says, “and they’re so happy that it’s been preserved.”
The filming team began work in the Fall of 2013, and premiered The Wright Time at Redding’s Cascade Theatre earlier this year. The film has also been submitted for consideration to the Ashland Independent Film Festival.
View the trailer or read more about the project.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Rrbhk_RCt
