The Discovery Channel's newest reality show, "Moonshiners," follows small group of Virginia men as they go through the motions of creating a batch of illegal whiskey from start to finish, deep in the Appalachian mountains. 

If that sounds a lot like Neal Hutcheson's Emmy-winning documentary "The Last One," chronicling legendary mountain man Popcorn Sutton brewing his supposed last batch of moonshine, then it shouldn't surprise you to see clips from that film sprinkled throughout the first few episodes of the Discovery series.

Hutcheson, a documentary filmmaker at N.C. State, says that some of the film has been licensed to Discovery for use in the series. "Tim," the main character in "Moonshiners," references Popcorn and insinuates that his father perhaps worked with him, but his statements are vague on that point.

"The Last One," Neal Hutcheson's Emmy-winning documentary on Popcorn Sutton, is the main attraction at a Chatham Arts film series event tonight at Fearrington Village in Pittsboro. Also showing tonight is a short film by D.L. Anderson on Johnston County moonshiner Percy Flowers, called "Percy's Run."

You can read more about tonight's event here (there's also live music!).

"The Last One," Neal Hutcheson's documentary on the late Appalachian moonshiner Popcorn Sutton , has won an Emmy from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for Outstanding Achievement in Television Programming Excellence.

Hutcheson, a video producer at NC State, made "The Last One" through his own production company, Sucker Punch Pictures.  "The Last One" won in the category of "cultural documentary."  Winners were announced at the 35th Southeast Regional Emmy Awards this past Saturday in Atlanta.

The locally produced "Hoi Toider" documentary, The Carolina Brogue, is getting some serious airplay on UNC television this month. Read about the film and get information on air times in our review from earlier this week.

The Carolina Brogue, April 2 at 10pm, UNC-TV

"The Carolina Brogue" is a fascinating peek into the thick, lyrical dialect of the 'Hoi Toiders' of our Outer Banks.

Filmed and directed by local documentary filmmaker Neal Hutcheson and produced by renowned NCSU linguist Walt Wolfram, "The Carolina Brogue"
will make you a little jealous to be lacking that utterly unique English/Scots-Irish/Eastern North Carolina lilting speech yourself (which actually pretty often sounds almost Australian).

The Last One, UNC-NC (Channel 204) 
This highly entertaining documentary is one of our favorites, so we're glad it's finally getting a chance at a slightly wider audience now on UNC-NC.  (Though we have to wonder why it's not available on the main station, UNC-TV, for those without cable or digital cable). 

NCSU filmmaker Neal Hutcheson has documented what was supposed to be the last batch of moonshine made by infamous Appalachian moonshiner Popcorn Sutton. In The Last One, Hutcheson captures not only the pride and proficiency of Sutton's work, but explores the history of moonshining and its place in Appalachian culture.

But mostly, Popcorn Sutton is just a treat to watch. Be sure to read our full review here, from the film's premiere on The Documentary Channel in December. And in a sad postscript, Sutton has since gotten into a little trouble with the law. Those blasted revenuers.

The Last One is showing all next week on UNC-NC, starting tomorrow afternoon at 3pm. Click below for a full list of show times.

The Outlaw Lewis Redmond, UNC-TV, January 24, 5pm

UNC-TV is airing Neal Hutcheson's documentary on the life of Appalachian bootlegger Lewis Redmond tomorrow afternoon. The Outlaw Lewis Redmond examines Redmond's metamorphosis from son of a poor mountain farmer in Southern Appalachia in the 1850s, into one of the most infamous outlaws in the nation.

Redmond's folk hero status was born out of a time of bitter desperation for most Southerners. . . .

I could watch Popcorn Sutton all day. Stacking rocks, building stills, smoothing bran paste, shaking moonshine in clear Kerr jars... As long as he's talking about what he's doing at the same time, I'm watching and listening.

In his new documentary, "The Last One," Neal Hutcheson, a film studies graduate from NC State University, has captured the meticulous and precarious art of moonshining, and at the same time, has captured the life and spirit of the rascally Popcorn Sutton.