King Coal

By Elaine McMillion Sheldon

A lyrical tapestry of a place and people, KING COAL meditates on the complex history and future of the coal industry, the communities it has shaped, and the myths it has created. Oscar-nominated filmmaker Elaine McMillion Sheldon reshapes the boundaries of documentary filmmaking in a spectacularly beautiful and deeply moving immersion into Central Appalachia where coal is not just a resource, but a way of life, imagining the ways a community can re-envision itself.

While deeply situated in the regions under the reign of King Coal, where McMillion Sheldon has lived and worked her entire life, the film transcends time and place, emphasizing the ways in which all are connected through an immersive mosaic of belonging, ritual, and imagination. Emerging from the long shadows of the coal mines, KING COAL untangles the pain from the beauty, and illuminates the innately human capacity for change.

 

Trailer

Festivals & Awards

Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival – Special Jury Prize: Feature Documentary

CamerImage Golden Frog Nominee – Best Cinematography Award: Feature Documentary

Cinema Eye Honors Nominee – Best Cinematography Award: Feature Documentary

IDA Awards Nominee – Best Cinematography Award: Feature Documentary

Sundance Film Festival

Ji.hlava Intl Documentary Film Festival

Related content

Scrap Yard

Nadège Trébal

Abbas by Abbas

Kamy Pakdel

How I Learned to Overcome my Fear and Love Ariel Sharon

Avi Mograbi