EXCLUSIVE: One of the most acclaimed films to debut at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival will soon get its broadcast premiere on POV, the long running nonfiction series from American Documentary.
King Coal, directed by Elaine McMillion Sheldon, will kick off the 37th season of POV on Monday, June 24. The film has won prizes from the Seattle International Film Festival, Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival, and the Flyover Film Festival in Louisville, KY, and won cinematography awards at Woods Hole and other festivals, as well as Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography from the American Society of Cinematographers. The film’s stunning imagery is evident in the exclusive clip above.
“Filmed in Central Appalachia and through the personal memories of McMillion Sheldon – a 4th generation coal miner’s daughter,” notes a release, “the film is a collection of vignettes about the cultural roots of coal and its waning impact over a sector of American life, while making space for a dream of the future to emerge.”
Director Elaine McMillion Sheldon
Momodu Mansaray/Getty Images
McMillion Sheldon said in a statement, “It’s such an honor to share a story that is so deeply personal to me with a national audience. This film hinges on my own experiences growing up in Appalachia, but also our region’s collective memory, with the goal of dreaming a new future together.”
The film is produced by Academy Award winners Shane Boris and Diane Becker (Navalny) and Peabody Award winner Peggy Drexler (My Name is Pauli Murray). King Coal is a co-production of Drexler Films, Cottage M, Fishbowl Films, and Requisite Media, with production support provided by the Peggy and Millard Drexler Family Foundation.
John Ridley, co-host of Deadline’s Doc Talk podcast, calls King Coal “phenomenal.” The New York Times gave it a Critic’s Pick designation, describing the film as a “melancholic, thoughtfully attuned cinematic essay.” Reviewer Robert Daniels wrote, “Through archival footage and vivid narration, Sheldon notes how the discovery of the precious black rock led to an economic boom that inspired a vibrant middle class in the 20th century, born from labor struggle. She also observes how the poisonous fossil fuel destroys the environment. The film is both a cumulative eulogy for a way of life and an examination of the climate crisis through witnessing the charred remains of these rural landscapes.”
‘King Coal’
American Documentary/POV
POV holds the distinction of being America’s longest running nonfiction television series.
“One theme of POV‘s Season 37 slate is how modernity brushes up against traditional cultures,” said Chris White, executive producer, American Documentary. “King Coal, a singular, lyrical interpretation and excavation of the culture, history and economy of Appalachian coal country strikes the right tone as the season opener. Director Elaine McMillion Sheldon is a daughter of the place. Utilizing a hybrid approach of video and narration to tell the stories of the people and place, gives her agency to share an insider’s perspective of a region that is in transition.”
The film’s executive producers are Katherine Drexler, Heather A. Baldry, Erika Dilday and Chris White for American Documentary | POV. Participants/cast include Lanie Marsh, Gabrielle Wilson, Doy Leon Russell, and Heather Hannah.
The director of photography is Curren Sheldon; Iva Radivojević edited the film. McMillion Sheldon wrote King Coal, with Shane Boris, Logan Hill, Iva Radivojević, and Heather Hannah credited as contributing writers. Original music is by Bobak Lotfipour. The film features the work of breath artist Dominic “Shodekeh” Talifero, and choreography by Celia Rowlson-Hall.
King Coal will be available to stream until December 3, 2024 on pbs.org and the PBS app. In addition to standard closed captioning for the film, POV in partnership with audio description service DiCapta, provides real-time audio interpretations for audiences with sensory disabilities.
Watch the clip from King Coal above.