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Free and open to the public. Join us for a screening of the film Hillibilly on Monday, February 27 at 5:30pm in the Lindsay Young Auditorium, 1st floor John C. Hodges Library.
Hillbilly introduces audiences to a nuanced, authentic Appalachia that is quite conscious of how it has been portrayed and the impacts of those portrayals. The documentary deconstructs mainstream representations while asking crucial questions: Where did the hillbilly archetype come from and why has it endured on-screen for more than a hundred years? How does it relate to the exploitation of the land and people who live there? How do Appalachian and rural people view themselves as a result of these negative portrayals, and what is the impact on the rest of America?
Funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and filmed in Tennessee, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, and California, the film uses a combination of personal narrative, regional history, and conversations with Appalachians ranging from York’s grandmother to scholar bell hooks to challenge pervasive perceptions of Appalachia, showcasing the African-American Affrilachian Poets workshop and the Appalachian Media Institute at Appalshop, where queer young adults find community and refuge.
The screening of Hillbilly is in coordination with the 2023 Wilma Dykeman Stokely Memorial Lecture on Tuesday, February 28, at 7 p.m. (EST), at the Bijou Theatre. Join us for a conversation with director and producer of Hillbilly, Ashley York and documentary filmmaker of King Coal, Elaine McMillion Sheldon. Our guests will address the portrayal of Appalachian culture in film and discuss their current projects. Register to join us for the lecture at this link.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Hodges Library, 1015 Volunteer Blvd,Knoxville,TN,United States