The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia
World Premiere

The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia

| USA | 84 MINUTES | English
Documentary

Tucked deeply in the hills of the Appalachian Mountains, the White family lives an existence more like something out of the Wild West than modern-day rural America. The legendary family is known as much for their disturbing and excessive ways as they are for their famous mountain tap dancing legacy, which includes living legend Jesco White (star of the PBS documentary Dancing Outlaw). From MTV Studios and executive producers Johnny Knoxville and Jeff Tremaine (Jackass), this edgy and often hilarious look into a dying breed of American outcasts exposes the powerful forces of corruption, poverty, and West Virginia's environmentally and culturally devastating coal mining culture.

Julien Nitzberg follows the Whites over the course of one year to document their tangled history, intelligently weaving a jaw-dropping portrait of a family that will live on in infamy. From stabbings and attempted murder to drug trafficking and a child custody battle, the Whites run the gamut of 'drama.' Nitzberg brings humor and levity to the White's shocking lifestyle, but he is quick to ground us in their cyclical, brutal reality.


Cast & Credits
Directed by
Julien Nitzberg and Julien Nitzberg
Julien Nitzberg met the Whites in 1989 while directing The Wild World of Hasil Adkins, a documentary about Boone County’s infamous punk progenitor and rockabilly pioneer. Adkins introduced Nitzberg to Mamie White, who in turn invited Nitzberg to her birthday party.  It was there that Mamie introduced Nitzberg to her brother, and he went on to film the first video footage of Jesco. This footage became the basis for Dancing Outlaw on which he served as Associate Producer. After moving to California, Nitzberg directed the feature film Bury Me in Kern County; which Variety raved about, calling the film “an impressively assured and pro debut.”  As a screenwriter, Nitzberg has written for HBO, SHOWTIME, TNT, VH1 and NBC. He is currently writing a script for HBO based on the strange life of the civil rights activist and professional wrestler Sputnik Monroe. Last year he wrote and directed the musical The Beastly Bombing or a Terrible Tale of Terrorists Tamed by the Tangles of True Love, which won the LA Weekly Theater Musical of the Year Award and was dubbed by the Huffington Post: “the first great work of comedy to emerge from the post-9/11 little planet of horrors.”
Executive Producers
Johnny Knoxville, Jeff Tremaine, Priya Swaminathan, Jeff Yapp
Director
Julien Nitzberg
Producer
Storm Taylor

Contacts
Producer
Mitch Solomon
Magnet Pictures
6380 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 1606 Phone: (323) 456-0556
mitch@magnetmanagement.com
Sales Contact
Jeff Yapp
2600 Colorado Avenue, #4-15 Santa Monica, CA 90404
Phone: 310 752 8472
jeff.yapp@mtvstaff.com
* Rush Tickets available at venue except for
Beacon Theatre
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The Rush system functions as a standby line that will form at the venue approximately one hour prior to scheduled start time. Admittance is based on availability and will begin roughly 10 minutes prior to program start time. Rush Tickets are the same price as advance tickets and are payable upon entry.

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