King Coal
Directed by Elaine 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.
Filmmakers' Bios
Elaine Sheldon - Director,Producer, Co-Editor
Elaine McMillion Sheldon is an Academy Award-nominated, and Emmy and Peabody Award-winning filmmaker. Sheldon is the director of two Netflix Original Documentaries – HEROIN(E) and RECOVERY BOYS- that explore America’s opioid crisis. She has been named a Creative Capital Awardee, Guggenheim Fellow, a USA Fellow by United States Artists, and one of the “25 New Faces of Independent Film,” by Filmmaker Magazine. Her latest film, KING COAL, premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. McMillion Sheldon recently moved back to her home state of West Virginia.
Curren Sheldon - Cinematographer, Co-Producer
Curren Sheldon is an Academy Award nominated and Emmy-winning filmmaker. He is the director of photography and producer of Netflix Original Documentaries HEROIN(E) and RECOVERY BOYS, as well as the co-director of photography for PHOENIX RISING (HBO) and KEEP THIS BETWEEN US (Freeform). His work has been commissioned by The New York Times, Patagonia, Oh Boy Records, and The Bitter Southerner. Sheldon recently moved back to his home state of West Virginia.