Award-winning new documentary, 'hillbilly' gives fresh, diverse look at Appalachia

Directors Ashley York and Sally Rubin have teamed up to make the new award-winning documentary, 'hillbilly,' that is screening from Alaska and California to New York. It is screening in West Virginia in November in Charleston and Huntington. As Appalachian-American filmmakers, the directors said they are committed to making this film in order to offer the world a rich and varied point of view of this historically misunderstood region.

Filmed in Georgia, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, 'hillbilly' examines the experience of rural voters and seeks to expand understanding of the region by featuring diverse communities in Appalachia, including Appalshop's Appalachian Media Institute where young adults find community and refuge, and the Affrilachian Poets, a grassroots group of poets of color living in the Appalachian region. hillbilly seeks to challenge viewers’ perception of Appalachia, opening up dialogue between urban and rural America, and offering folks within the region a cinematic portrayal of which they can be proud.

"hillbilly" was funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, has been acquired for distribution by the Orchard, and recently won the Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the Los Angeles Film Festival. It premiered at the Nashville Film Festival as the Closing Night Movie, opened last week as the Opening Night Movie at Hot Springs, and won Michael's Moore's Founder's Award at the Traverse City Film Festival. The film has been Long-listed for an Oscar and was called a "serious Oscar contender" in the Wrap in October.