King Coal 
“As we enter a presidential election year, coal and its impact on climate change will be among the issues discussed in the campaigns. King Coal takes viewers into Central Appalachia, where communities depend on the coal industry for survival, and reveals people caught in the web of transition.” — Erika Dilday, Executive Director, American Documentary and Executive Producer POV & America ReFramed. 

“A lyrical tapestry of a place and people, King Coal meditates on the complex history and future of the coal industry, the communities it has shaped, and the myths it has created.  

Oscar-nominated filmmaker Elaine McMillion Sheldon reshapes the boundaries of documentary filmmaking in a spectacularly beautiful and deeply moving immersion into Central Appalachia, where coal is not just a resource but a way of life. While deeply situated in the communities under the reign of King Coal, where McMillion Sheldon has lived and worked her entire life, the film transcends time and place, emphasizing the ways in which all are connected through an immersive mosaic of belonging, ritual, and imagination. Emerging from the long shadows of the coal mines, KING COAL untangles the pain from the beauty, and illuminates the innately human capacity for change.” (from American Documentary press release, December 2024) 

Creativity & Innovation’s Innovator in Residence for spring semester 2024, breath artist Shodekeh Talifero, contributed to King Coal’s soundtrack. As part of the evening, he will discuss and demonstrate his process for creating sounds for the film.  

Shodekeh Talifero 
Serving as Creativity & Innovation Innovator in Residence for spring semester 2024, Shodekeh Talifero is a groundbreaking breastbone, vocal percussionist, and breath artist who pushes the boundaries of the human voice within and outside the context of hip-hop music and culture. His exploratory collaborations encompass a wide range of traditional artists. He recently concluded a three-year term as Innovator in Residence at Towson University’s College of Fine Art & Communication and is presently a Fellow at Mount Vernon. He has collaborated with many traditional and contemporary artists, including Alash and Silkroad Ensemble. He recently performed his piece, Vodalities: Paradigms of Consciousness for the Human Voice, in collaboration with Sō Percussion at Carnegie Hall (2021). He is also the founding director of Embody, A Festival Series of the Vocal Arts. 

King Coal has been nominated for the 38th Annual American Society of Cinematographers Awards. The ASC Award nominees for feature film, documentary, and television cinematography represent the organization’s picks for the most compelling visual filmmaking.