From the Hills and Hollers: HARLAN COUNTY USA with Jack Wright

Watch Trailer Director: Barbara Kopple

About the film

Barbara Kopple’s Oscar-winning 1976 documentary takes viewers from the heart of Harlan County, Kentucky to the front doors of the New York Stock Exchange as she captures on film the lives of coal miners engaged in a strike against the Duke Power Company in 1973. The film is a powerful and moving exposé of workers standing up to industry to petition for better treatment, told in the own words of the strikers themselves.

About the series

Due to the resounding success of the series launch during 2022-2023, we are thrilled to present the 2^nd annual From the Hills and Hollers: Appalachian Film Series for 2023-2024.

The series seeks to foster a deeper connection between the Athens city and university communities and the cultural legacy of the surrounding region through films that examine the many facets, both positive and negative, of life in Appalachia. This batch of films is, in large part, the product of filmmakers who have intimate knowledge of living in this environment and, as a result, are well-suited for representing the realities of Appalachia on the big screen.

Short introduction/lectures will provide context for the film and introduce the underlying issues represented in film and other media. All events in the series are presented with free admission.

This screening will take place at the Ridges Auditorium located at 135 Ridges Circle.

This series is sponsored by the College of Health Sciences and Professions, the Department of Sociology and Anthropology in the College of Arts and Sciences, OHIO Honors Program, Center for Campus and Community Engagement, Athens County Public Libraries, University Libraries, GO Local, University College, the Center for Law, Justice, and Culture, and the Ohio Arts Council.