George Masa documentary to make world premiere in Asheville

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — George Masa (1885 – 1933) was a Japanese photographer whose pictures of the Appalachian Mountains were invaluable in the formation of the Appalachian Trail and Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Despite his historical impact, little is known about Masa in his private life.

In “A Life Reimagined: The George Masa Story,” a new documentary, filmmaker Paul Bonesteel attempts to unearth the story of the legendary photographer. “A Life Reimagined” will make its world premiere on April 29 at the Fine Arts Theatre in downtown Asheville. Find tickets here.

Uncovering the mystery of Masa

(Courtesy: University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections) “George Masa playing for Mikado Team, Seattle, Washington.”

(Courtesy: Highlands Historical Society Archives) “George Masa Photograph, Cullasaja Falls, Nantahala National Forest, Highlands, NC”

(Courtesy: Buncombe County Special Collections, Pack Memorial Library, Asheville, North Carolina)”George Masa w/ Carolina Mountain Club friends, Great Smoky Mountains National Park.”

“A Life Reimagined” is not Bonesteel’s first time exploring the life of George Masa.

In 2003, “The Mystery of George Masa,” a documentary by Bonesteel, aired on PBS, exploring the enigma of the photographer and the prevailing importance of his work.

“I thought that was the end of my Masa obsession, which, at my kind of younger age at the time, seemed like an eternity,” Bonesteel reflected. “But, lo and behold, after that film came out, we found some letters. A family called me after they saw that film, and they were like, ‘We might have some stuff you want to look at.'”

The letters took around five years to be translated from Japanese. However, when the documentarian was able to read them, the mysteries had multiplied.

“They provided, well, no direct answers. They provided a whole lot of clues and more mysteries,” Bonesteel said. “So what happened was, my co-writer and myself decided to write a book about George Masa, and in the process of doing that, we did a whole lot of research on these letters and and Masa’s real backstory. And that led to me knowing I needed to make a new film.”

Bonesteel’s book, “George Masa: A Life Reimagined,” co-written with Janet McCue, was published by Smokies Life on Sept. 10, 2024.

Bonesteel and McCue are also co-authors of the “A Life Reimagined” documentary, which Bonesteel narrates.

(Courtesy: Janet McCue) “Paul Bonesteel with Tokyo research team, Tokyo, Japan”

(Courtesy: Nagomi Onda) “Director Paul Bonesteel and co-writer/researcher Janet McCue, Tokyo, Japan”

(Courtesy: Paul Bonesteel) “Photographer Hideki Hoshino, interview set up, Iiyama, Japan”

“My involvement in the story led me to a first-person approach with this film,” explained Bonesteel. “There are, you know, some talking head interviews with experts and and a Japanese photographer who weighs in on Masa’s story and how it connects to the Japanese. So there is that. But overarching all of it is, again, a parallel journey of me telling our research story about George Masa. And really, why I made a new film, why we wrote the book, because we had demystified, or at least mostly demystified, his story.”

Bonesteel said that the film will feature major revelations about the secretive photographer.

“We also now understand why he wanted it to be kept a secret while he was alive,” Bonesteel said. “That all makes more sense now that we know what we know about him. I don’t want to give spoilers out, but I can say even Masa’s best friends here while he was alive didn’t know his backstory.”

Members of the public are invited to attend several screenings of “A Life Reimagined” before its PBS streaming debut on May 1 and PBS NC broadcast debut at 9 p.m. on May 12.

A sneak peek screening will be held from 7-8:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 22 at the UC Theater of Western Carolina University. Bonesteel will be in attendance to introduce the film and take questions following. Find more information here.

“A Life Reimagined” will make its theatrical world premiere at 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 29 at the Fine Arts Theatre, 36 Biltmore Ave., Asheville. Find tickets and more information here.