Environmental issues will come to light when two Kentucky filmmakers present their films at Western.

“Sludge” and “Thoughts in the Presence of Fear,” two 30-minute films produced by Appalshop, a cultural center based in Whitesburg will be screened at 6 p.m. tomorrow in the Mass Media and Technology Hall Auditorium.

The presentation will be followed by a question and answer session with the two filmmakers, Robert Salyer and Herb E. Smith.

Screenings are being sponsored by the Women’s Studies program, College of Education, College of Health and Human Services, Ogden College and Potter College.

“Sludge” concerns an incident that took place on Oct. 11, 2000 when a Martin County coal sludge impoundment broke through an underlying mine causing 306 million gallons of sludge to flood and contaminate Wolf Creek and Coldwater Fork.

“Thoughts in the Presence of Fear” is based on an essay of the same name written by Henry County native Wendell Berry.

In the film, Berry reads his essay while images of eastern Kentucky are shown.

It’s accompanied by a musical score based on Jean Richie’s “Now is the Cool of the Day.”

Jane Olmsted, associate professor of English and director of the Women’s Studies program, discovered the films earlier this summer when she went to Whitesburg for a film festival sponsored by Appalshop.

Believing that students could benefit from seeing the films, she asked the four colleges to sponsor the screenings.

Olmsted said she was surprised when they agreed.

“I don’t think we have events very often sponsored by the four colleges,” she said. “But just about every discipline has interest in the environment.”

Wes Berry, assistant professor of English at Western, is looking forward to viewing the films.

“Wendell Berry writes about big, complicated national issues in a language that anyone can understand,” he said. “He believes that rural communities have been increasing lost since World War II and that we need to keep our farmers healthy.”

Reach William Ploch at features@wkuherald.com.