Neal Hutcheson

Producer/director Neal Hutcheson, on staff to NC State's Linguistics program, is producer of  five documentaries for PBS in collaboration with the renowned linguist Walt Wolfram – Indian By Birth (2001), Mountain Talk (2004), Voices of North Carolina (2005), The Queen Family: Appalachian Tradition & Back Porch Music (2006), and The Carolina Brogue (2008). He has also directed the documentary The Prison Sutras (1997), and produced numerous short films including Jornado del Muerto (1998), Cry Like A BabyVollis Simpson’s Whirligigs (2001). He also produced the feature documentary film, The Last One, about NC's legendary Popcorn Sutton and bootlegging.  

THE LAST ONE, is an Emmy-winning documentary, produced by Neil Hutcheson of NC State!  It features moonshiner Popcorn Sutton, and depicts Sutton distilling his final batch of illegal liquor, while interviews with Appalachian folklorists, storytellers, and noted authors explore the role of moonshine in Appalachian history and identity. The affable Sutton dominates the film, weaving explanations of points of craft with stories of a lifetime of experiences in the moonshine trade.

 

Popcorn Sutton’s fame grew exponentially this past March when he committed suicide following a series of highly publicized moonshine busts.  Neal Hutcheson, producer and director, comments, "Popcorn’s death underscores the cultural preservation value of films like THE LAST ONE, a fact that I doubt escaped the Emmy selection committee."

THE LAST ONE was produced by Sucker Punch Pictures and funded in part by grants from the North Carolina Arts Council and United Arts of Wake County. Hutcheson is best known for his collaborations with the linguist Walt Wolfram at NC State University, including the popular documentary MOUNTAIN TALK, which laid the groundwork for several further documentaries.