In our original plan for the festival, we intended to have an Appalachian documentary screening throughout the day to allow people to engage with authentic Appalachian stories from another angle. 

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When the logistics of that didn’t pan out for the first year, it became a no-brainer to invite the producer of many of our favorite Appalachian documentaries, Elaine McMillion Sheldon, to speak at the Sunday Awards Brunch—and we were honored when she agreed!

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Sheldon’s latest film, King Coal, has won numerous awards for good reason. During her keynote, she shared several clips with her poetic voiceover overlaid with picturesque views of the deepest places in Appalachian coal country. The film is powerful and worth every accolade it has received and then some.

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It was an honor to present Elaine McMillion Sheldon with the first-ever DENI Filmmaking Award. We look forward to future filmmakers that will follow Sheldon’s impeccable storytelling through film!