Skip to content Skip to main navigation Report an accessibility issue

King Coal, a Documentary Film Using Narrative Storytelling, May 6

Elaine McMillion Sheldon, assistant professor of cinema studies in the UT School of Art, will present King Coal: a documentary film using narrative storytelling, Friday, May 6 at 12 p.m. via Zoom.

King Coal, the latest feature-length documentary from Sheldon, weaves observations of contemporary coal culture, with a magically real tale of a girl who gets a glimpse of our beyond-coal future. Bored and disillusioned by her own reality, Violet’s daydreams carry her away from her home in the modern-day coalfields of Appalachia to a mythical land where she observes the ways people live with one another, the land, and natural resources in a world where King Coal never reigned. Sheldon will discuss her process of documenting realities on the ground, while also bringing to life imagined futures for the region through cinematic storytelling.

The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. 

Register today for the May 6 Science Forum presentation.


This is the final lecture for the spring 2022 series. Please visit our website later this summer for information about the fall 2022 series, including topics and presentation format. 

Photo by Artyom Korshunov on Unsplash