Harlan County USA (4K Restoration)

“Seeing Harlan County USA and American Dream back-to-back is not only a lesson in the labor movement, but an opportunity to appreciate Kopple’s artistry and how it subtly evolved from one movie to the next … Her years-long relationship with these workers was a collaboration, and the images in these films are carefully framed and evocative as any fiction feature.” – Scott Tobias, The Reveal

Barbara Kopple’s Academy Award–winning Harlan County USA unflinchingly documents a grueling coal miners’ strike in a small Kentucky town. With unprecedented access, Kopple and her crew captured the miners’ sometimes violent struggles with strikebreakers, local police, and company thugs. Featuring a haunting soundtrack—with legendary country and bluegrass artists Hazel Dickens, Merle Travis, Sarah Gunning, and Florence Reece—the film is a heartbreaking record of the thirteen-month struggle between a community fighting to survive and a corporation dedicated to the bottom line.

Also showing: companion screening American Dream in a gorgeous 4K restoration — see both landmark Barbara Kopple films.