Elaine Sheldon’s “King Coal” a New York Times Critics Pick
The University of Tennessee School of Art is pleased to announce that the most recent film produced by film maker Elaine McMillion Sheldon has been named a Critics Pick by the New York Times. Sheldon is Assistant Professor in the Cinema Studies concentration at the School of Art.
This film is described as, “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.
“While deeply situated in the communities 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.”
August 11-17, 2023, “King Coal” begins a limited U.S. theatrical tour in New York City at Firehouse: DCTV’s Cinema for Documentary Film. That screening will be following by showings across the country including in Knoxville at The Central Cinema on September 1, 2023. Cinema Studies Professor Paul Harrill will be moderating that Q&A with Elaine Sheldon and director of photography, Curren Sheldon.
More screenings and locations are listed at: https://www.kingcoalfilm.com/screenings
NPR’s Scott Simon talks with Elaine McMillion Sheldon about her documentary, “King Coal,” on Weekend Edition, Saturday August 12, 2023 – Elaine McMillion Sheldon on her documentary ‘King Coal.’ : NPR