Impossible Town, an award-winning documentary feature directed by Bridgeport High School alumnus Scott Faris, will be released nationwide this summer by PBS. The film will air on PBS Plus and select regional affiliates starting July 15, with streaming options via Amazon and others to follow.

 

Impossible Town tells the story of former State Health Officer Dr. Ayne Amjad, who is thrust to the helm of a decades-long struggle to aid a southern West Virginia town exposed to cancer-causing chemicals. The film explores the dual nature of trauma, showing how profound loss can both drive us to ambitious action and hold us in place.

 

Faris and his co-director, Meg Griffiths, filmed Impossible Town primarily in Oak Hill, Beckley, and Charleston. The project marks the pair’s feature-length directorial debut. The film premiered at the 45th Mountainfilm Festival in Telluride and won Best Documentary Feature at the Brooklyn Film Festival. It has received support from the International Documentary Association, the Redford Center, and the New York Foundation for the Arts.

 

Faris says, “Impossible Town is a complex addition to the rich body of stories about West Virginia and the Appalachian region. We’re honored to’ve spent nearly five years filming in the state, and we hope viewers will bring an open mind and heart to this film about true West Virginia heroes and the limits of their heroism.”

 

Impossible Town will be available via PBS Plus and regional broadcasters beginning July 15th. You can visit the film’s website for additional ways to view the film.

 

About Scott Faris: Since 2017, Scott Faris and his creative partner Meg Griffiths have run Universe Creative, a Los Angeles-based production company committed to social impact video storytelling. Their work has been supported by the International Documentary Association and the Redford Center and recognized by the Webby Awards, Telly Awards, Short of the Week, and Vimeo. They have created content for the Gates Foundation, Amazon Studios, the Walton Family Foundation, and Teach For America, among others.

 

 

Film website URL: https://www.impossibletown.com/