Hillbilly: Appalachia in Film and Television

Film by

Sally Rubin and Ashley York

Film Website

About the Film

Appalachia is as old as it is complex. Made up of Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, North Carolina, and Virginia, as well as parts of Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Georgia, the region and its people are home to a mountain range and a history that make it an undeniably special – and even quintessentially “American” – place. Due to a century-and-a-half of reliance on coal as its core industry, one of its defining characteristics has been a “boom and bust” economy that has also made Appalachia a region of poverty and a frequent focus of national attention. From these mountains and circumstances have emerged a complicated, often problematic, and enduring American archetype: the hillbilly.

Hillbilly: Appalachia in film and television is a documentary film that examines the iconic hillbilly stereotype in film and television. The film explores more than a hundred years of media representation of mountain and rural people, reveals how the hillbilly icon reflects America’s aspirational self-image over the decades, and offers an urgent exploration of how we see and think about poor, white, rural America.

Praise for Hillbilly

“”hillbilly” is a “significant Oscar contender””

The Wrap

“Dolly Parton sings praise of new documentary ‘hillbilly'”

The Tennessean

Awards and Festivals

Hillbilly won the Documentary Award at the LA Film Fest and has received Audience Favorite Awards at Franklin International Independent Film Festival and Scruffy City Film & Music Festival. It has been awarded Official Selections for Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival, Beaufort International Film Festival, Anchorage International Film Festival, Beloit International Film Festival, Nashville Film Festival, Doc NYC, Traverse City Film Festival, SBIFF Call to Action Film Festival, Heartland International Film Festival, Charlotte Film Festival, Rocky Mountain Women’s Film Festival, and many more.

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