TRAILER

SYNOPSIS

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 coalfields, 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.

KING COAL premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, screened at over 50 festivals, 50 theaters, and had its national broadcast premiere as the season opener for PBS’ POV, America’s longest-running non-fiction series. The New York Times named it a Critics’ Pick, Esquire and Marie Claire named it one of the best documentaries of the year.

An immersive mosaic of belonging, ritual, and imagination

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AWARDS & RECOGNITION:

OFFICIAL SELECTION - SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL 2023 - NEXT
CRITICS PICK - NEW YORK TIMES - AUGUST 2023
NIGEL MOORE AWARD - DOXA 2023 - YOUTH PROGRAMMING
SPECIAL JURY PRIZE - SIFF 2023 - DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
SPECIAL JURY PRIZE - CRESTED BUTTE 2023 - VISIONARY DIRECTION
CINEMATOGRAPHY PRIZE - RIVERRUN 2023 - DOC FEATURE COMPETITION
CINEMATOGRAPHY NOMINEE - CINEMA EYE 2023 - DOC FEATURE COMPETITION
CINEMATOGRAPHY NOMINEE - IDA AWARDS 2023 - DOC FEATURE COMPETITION
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY - THE ASC AWARDS - DOC FEATURE COMPETITION
GOLDEN FROG NOMINEE - CAMERIMAGE 2023 - DOC FEATURE COMPETITION

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