June 25, 2025 - King Coal, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2023, is described as “The journey of a coal miner’s daughter exploring the region’s dreams and myths, untangling the pain and beauty.”

The film follows Lanie Bayless Marsh and Gabrielle Wilson as they explore the cultural roots of coal that continue to permeate the rituals of daily life in Appalachia, even as its economic power wanes.  

The West Virginia filmmakers who created the award-winning Appalachian-shot documentary King Coal are in New York City this week as the film is up for three Emmy Awards: Outstanding Writing-Documentary, Outstanding  Cinematography-Documentary, and Outstanding Arts and Culture Documentary. 

The award ceremonies for the 46th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards are set for  June 25 and 26 at Palladium Times Square. The winners of the News categories will be revealed on the first night, and winners of the Documentary categories will be announced on the second night. 

The award-winning documentary film King Coal was written, directed and narrated by Elaine McMillion Sheldon, was shot by cinematographer Curren Sheldon, and was co-produced by Molly Born. Elaine and Curren received an 2018 Emmy Award for their West Virginia-based Netflix film Heroin(e). Collectively the couple has been nominated for nine Emmy Awards, and have won two. 

Elaine, who hails from a family of coal miners, and her husband Curren shot the film throughout Appalachia, including 37 different locations in West Virginia. Curren, who also shot the Oscar-nominated Heroin(e), has been nominated for six cinematography awards for his work on the film and was the winner of the American Society of Cinematographers Documentary Award in 2024.

After a screening tour of indie cinemas nationwide, and throughout Appalachia, King Coal was picked up for national broadcast by PBS POV, one of the most prestigious streaming channels for documentary film.

You can watch King Coal, on Apple TV+ Amazon Prime, or Kanopy.