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Join the East Asheville Library and Buncombe County Special Collections for a screening of the documentary The Mystery of George Masa followed by a Q&A session with the documentarian, Paul Bonesteel, founder of Bonesteel Films. This free event will be Saturday, April 29 at 10 a.m. at the East Asheville Library.
The Mystery of George Masa details the life of Masahara Iizuka, a Japanese immigrant who came to the Asheville in 1915, where he focused his camera and his passions on preserving the beauty of the wilderness he discovered. Eighteen years after his arrival, his death left behind thousands of photographs and an impressive legacy that included a role in the founding of two great national treasures, The Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Appalachian Trail.
Paul Bonesteel is a filmmaker from North Carolina with a commitment to telling stories that illuminate and inspire. His other documentaries include Muni, a story about Black caddies turned golfers during the Jim Crow Era, The Day Carl Sandburg Died, and America’s First Forest: Carl Schenck and the Asheville Experience.
After the film, please be sure to visit the exhibit Masa’s Mountains: An Exhibit of The Work & Legacy of Photographer George Masa on display throughout the month of May at the East Asheville Library.
To dive deeper into the story of George Masa and view even more of his photographs visit Buncombe County Special Collections in person at Pack Memorial Library or online.