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.
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Elaine McMillion Sheldon (Director / Producer / Co-Editor) 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 was raised in West Virginia and lives in Knoxville, Tennessee. Download Headshot
Peggy Drexler, Ph.D. (Producer) formed Drexler Films, a division of The Peggy and Millard Drexler Family Foundation, in 2017 to educate viewers about iconic figures and critical social issues. Since its inception she has executive or creatively produced five award winning documentaries that have all premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Among the honors her documentaries have received are The Dupont Columbia Award and Peabody Award for MY NAME IS PAULI MURRAY (Amazon), THE FIGHT won The Special Jury Award for Social Impact Filmmaker at Sundance, and ASK DR RUTH took the best documentary prize at Hot Docs. Dr Peggy Drexler is a member of the Producers Guild of America.
Curren Sheldon (Director of Photography / Co-Producer) 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 was raised in West Virginia and lives in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Molly Born (Co-Producer) is a journalist and producer based in West Virginia working across several forms of media. Molly was associate producer on the U.S. team behind the IDA award-winning Netflix series My Love, and she did archival research for the documentary Plan C. As a reporter, she has been twice named a finalist for the Livingston Award and was one of the first Report for America fellows in 2018. Her print work has been featured in several outlets, including The Washington Post, Southerly, and GroundTruth, and a limited-run podcast she produced during the early days of Covid-19 was written up in The New York Times and featured on NPR One.
Elijah Stevens (Associate Producer) is a documentary filmmaker whose work explores migration, political geography & the anthropocene. He has associate produced the Oscar-nominated Fire of Love and other feature documentaries, including Sky and Ground, The Seer and the Unseen, the Academy Award-shortlisted documentary short Los Comandos. His work has been supported by The Gotham, DOC NYC, DOK.Forum, DocsBarcelona, and Ji.hlava IDFF, amongst others.
Bobak Lotfipour (Composer) is an Iranian/Mexican American composer and performance artist from Denton, Texas, who currently lives in Los Angeles. He is best known for his handmade, experimental, percussive sounds using both traditional and nontraditional instruments and unconventional objects manipulated with effects. He also continues to create solo work that can be described as ambient, meditative, experimental, and haunting.
Celia Rowlson-Hall (Choreographer) is a multidisciplinary artist who blends narrative storytelling, modern dance, and film – creating a genre all her own. A Bessie Award Winning performer, Celia began her career as a professional dancer, but quickly transitioned to choreographing for film and television. Her choreography and movement work can be seen in GIRLS (HBO), AFTERSUN (A24), AFTER YANG (A24), PEARL IN X (A24), BIRDS OF PARADISE (Amazon), VOX LUX (Neon), and THE FITS (Oscilloscope).
Heather Hannah (Contributing Writer) was born and raised in the coal fields of West Virginia and is an accomplished songwriter and third generation harmony vocalist.
Lanie Bayless Marsh (talent) lives in Hurricane, W.Va. She is in 6th Grade at Hurricane Middle School and dancing is her passion. Lanie loves the mountains of Appalachia where she can ski, play in the mud, build campfires, explore the woods and creeks, and deer hunt with her brother. Lanie comes from generations of coal miners.
Shane Boris (Producer) is an Academy Award-winning and three-time Academy Award-nominated producer. His films have also won BAFTA, DuPont, and Peabody awards and played at festivals like Sundance and Locarno and screened in museums including MOMA and The Louvre. His latest films, FIRE OF LOVE (National Geographic) and NAVALNY (CNN Films), premiered at Sundance 2022 and have collectively received over 35 major industry award nominations. Other films include THE EDGE OF DEMOCRACY (Netflix) and ALL THESE SLEEPLESS NIGHTS.
Diane Becker (Producer) is an Academy Award-winning, Emmy Award-nominated, BAFTA, DuPont, and Peabody Award-winning producer. Credits include TINA, BELUSHI, INVENTING TOMORROW, and ON THE DIVIDE. NAVALNY (CNN Films) won the U.S. Documentary Audience Award and the Festival Favorite at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. Diane is a recipient of the 2023 Dear Producer Award and won the 2020 Sundance Institute/Amazon Producer’s Award for WHIRLYBIRD. She is a member of the Producers Guild of America and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Iva Radivojevic (Editor) is an artist residing on the island of Lesbos. Her films have screened at the New York Film Festival, New Directors/New Films, Rotterdam IFF, DocLisboa, Museum of Modern Art. She’s the recipient of the Sundance Art of Non-Fiction Fellowship, Guggenheim Fellowship, Princess Grace Fellowship. When not working on her own films, Iva collaborates through writing and editing.
Clara Haizlett (Associate Producer) is a documentary filmmaker from West Virginia and an associate producer on King Coal. Clara has directed, shot and produced several short documentaries for outlets like the Smithsonian Institution and NPR member stations. She gravitates toward stories that explore folklife, cross-cultural dialogue and the natural world.
Dominic “Shodekeh” Talifero (Breath Artist) is a groundbreaking Beatboxer and Vocal Percussionist who pushes the boundaries of the human voice within and outside the context of Hip Hop music and culture. As the first vocal percussionist to do so, he formally served as a dance technique musician and composer-in-residence for Towson University’s Department of Dance for 12 years.
Logan Hill (Contributing Writer) is a writer and journalist who has contributed to Entertainment Weekly, Esquire, IndieWire, Men’s Journal, The Nation, The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, Rolling Stone, Slate, and This American Life, among others. As a 2017 Sundance Institute Nonfiction Critics Fellow, he’s collaborated on documentary films, including Petra Costa’s Oscar-nominated THE EDGE OF DEMOCRACY (Netflix), Elan and Jonathan Bogarín’s 306 HOLLYWOOD (POV), and Kirsten Johnson’s Emmy-winning DICK JOHNSON IS DEAD (Netflix).
Mia Bruno (Distribution & Impact Strategy) combines an intricate knowledge of film distribution with a unique skill for innovative and effective marketing strategies. Mia works with filmmakers as a distribution consultant and impact producer, marrying a nuanced knowledge of the marketplace with creative and targeted campaigns designed to connect with audiences meaningfully.
Katherine Drexler (Executive Producer) graduated from Dartmouth College with a B.A. in Fine Arts. In 2014, she was awarded the W. David Dance 1940 Fine Arts Award for excellence on her printmaking work. Katherine worked in the visual arts for four years before joining Drexler Films in 2021, doing development, ideation, and behind the scenes support on current and upcoming projects.
Heather Baldry (Executive Producer) grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee. She is the founder of Narrow Vision Endeavors, LLC which funds films with a social impact.
Gabrielle “Gabby” Wilson (talent) lives in Charleston, W.Va. Gabrielle is in 6th Grade at Horace Mann Middle School. She’s been dancing for 9 years and her favorite type of dance is contemporary. Gabby’s great, great grandfather, and great-grandfather were coal miners in Cabin Creek, W.Va. Gabby loves the welcoming community in West Virginia.