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VIEWING REGION: Canada & USA
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When West Virginia broke away from Virginia in 1861 at the start of the American Civil War, its founders did not agree upon the Confederacy or the role of the state in the war. They were, however, united in their interests around the extraction and exploitation of the rich resources of the state, predominantly coal and timber, which would prove to be the dominant theme throughout the history of West Virginia. Devil Put the Coal is a holistic look at the impact of this legacy and the ravages of extractive industry and corporate power as it has affected the people, communities and the environment of West Virginia. Consciously eschewing exploitive filmmaking around the opioid epidemic or poverty, the film focuses on its people – all linked by the love of their home state and desire to stay put against all odds.
2022 | USA | 80 mins
Filmmakers
Lucas Sabean, Director, Producer, Editor
Lucas Sabean is an editor, producer and filmmaker. Co-founder of Eat the Moon Films & Big Tent Productions, he has produced and edited Healing From Hate: Battle for the Soul of a Nation (Freestyle Digital Media, Media Education Foundation), directed & edited Angry White Men: American Masculinity in the Age of Trump (Grasshopper Films) and directed, produced & edited Devil Put The Coal in the Ground. He recently directed, produced & edited The Man Card: White Male Identity Politics From Nixon to Trump (2020, Media Education Foundation) and directed, produced & edited You Throw Like A Girl: The Blindspot of Masculinity (2020, MEF).
Peter Hutchison, Director, Producer
Peter Hutchison is an award-winning filmmaker, NY Times Bestselling author, educator and activist. His films include Requiem for the American Dream: Noam Chomsky and the Principles of Concentration of Wealth and Power (Netflix), Healing From Hate: Battle for the Soul of a Nation (Journeyman/MEF), and Devil Put the Coal in the Ground, a holistic look at the ravages of extractive industry and corporate power in West Virginia. His longstanding commitment to issues around male identity has resulted in the films You Throw Like A Girl: The Blind Spot of Masculinity (MEF), Angry White Men: Masculinity in the Age of Trump (Grasshopper), and newly released, The Man Card: White Male Identity Politics from Nixon to Trump (MEF).