Harlan County, USA 1976 ‧ Documentary ‧ 1h 43m

In this documentary about labor tension in the coal-mining industry, director Barbara Kopple films a strike in rural Kentucky. After the coal miners at the Brookside Mine join a union, the owners refuse the labor contract. Once the miners start to strike, the owners of the mine respond by hiring scabs to fill the jobs of the regular employees. The strike, which lasts more than a year, frequently becomes violent, with guns produced on both sides, and one miner is even killed in a conflict.
Release date: January 23, 1977 (USA)
Director: Barbara Kopple
Awards: Academy Award for Best Documentary (Feature)
Running time: 1h 43m
Editors: Barbara Kopple, Mary Lampson, Nancy Baker, Lora Hays, Mirra Bank
Producer: Barbara Kopple