The Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom Presents: Harlan County, USA at 50
Oct. 15 marks 50 years since the premiere of "Harlan County, USA." The Academy Award-winning documentary shined a light on an eastern Kentucky coal mining community and their fight for a union contract.
The Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom is commemorating the anniversary with an hourlong audio special, “Harlan County, USA at 50.”
WKMS News Director Derek Operle has spent months diving into the documentary’s impact and lasting legacy, traveling to Harlan County and other parts of the state. Tune in to hear from director Barbara Kopple, miners and people inspired by the seminal film.
We're partnering with Twelve Lions Film Festival to share a sneak peak of our hourlong special at the Kentucky Theatre in Lexington at 7 p.m. Sept. 25, followed by a screening of "Harlan County, USA." We'll host our own screening, featuring a Q&A with Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom Deputy Managing Editor John Boyle and Derek Operle, on Oct. 13 at Paducah's Maiden Alley Cinema.
You can hear "Harlan County, USA at 50" live on the radio Thursday Oct. 15 on WKMS.
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“Harlan County, USA at 50” is a production from the Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom, a collaboration between West Virginia Public Broadcasting, WPLN and WUOT in Tennessee, LPM, WEKU, WKMS and WKU Public Radio in Kentucky, and NPR. Sign up for the weekly Porch Light newsletter here for news from around the region.