DEVIL PUT THE COAL IN THE GROUND is a moving portrayal of resilience by the people of West Virginia that reveals – despite years of corporate greed and exploitation – how a deep love of family, community and tradition has carried them through it all. From the realities of a crumbling economy, to the ravages of the opioid epidemic, to the irreparable environmental damage and its tragic impact on human health –  the film is a cautionary tale of unfettered corporate power, and an elegy to a vanishing Appalachia.  Uniquely structured upon personal storytelling of West Virginians, the film draws upon their rich experiences and diverse perspectives in order to create an informal, oral “People’s History of West Virginia”. These individuals run the gamut – from recovering opioid addict, to environmental activist, to U.S. Congressional candidate, to town judge, to recovery center nurse, to corporate environmental lawyer, to struggling local business owner – all of whom, despite their differences, remain linked by the love of their home state and the challenges that threaten their survival, and way of life. DEVIL PUT THE COAL IN THE GROUND features the iconic music of Steve Earle and Iris Dement, while blending intimate first-person storytelling with rare archival photography from DOCUMERICA luminary Jack Corn. Stunning aerial footage, bespoke animation, and an original score complete this heartfelt elegy to a vanishing Appalachia. Co-directors Lucas Sabean and Peter Hutchison stop by to talk about how this film started as an entirely different project and why the humanity and emotional rawness of the film’s subjects made it clear that they deserved to have a film built around their stories.   

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Devil Put the Coal in the Ground is currently streaming on VOD platforms including iTunes/Apple TV, and Grasshopper Films.

About the filmmaker – Director/ Producer Peter Hutchison is an award-winning filmmaker, NY Times Bestselling author, educator & activist. He directed & produced Requiem for the American Dream: Noam Chomsky and the Principles of Concentration of Wealth and Power(Netflix). A NY Times Critics Pick and #1 selling doc on iTunes, the book version of the film was a NY Times Bestseller (Seven Stories Press). He most recent film, the critically-acclaimed Healing From Hate: Battle for the Soul of a Nation (Journeyman Pictures/ Media Education Foundation), described as “a raw masterpiece”,  is now in wide release. The film examines the root causes of hate group activity through the bold work of former Skinheads & neo-Nazis, now engaged in de-radicalizing violent extremists, and transforming attitudes of intolerance. 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). His numerous documentary features include What Would Jesus Buy?(Sundance Channel Feature), SPLIT: ADivided America(IFC Choice Indie), it’s follow-up SPLIT: A Deeper Divide (The Documentary Channel), and Awake Zion (Film Buff). 

About the filmmaker – Director/ Producer/ Editor Lucas Sabean is an editor, producer and filmmaker, whose output includes independent narrative & documentary features, commercial video, and a large body of experiential work. Co-founder of Eat the Moon Films & Big Tent Productions, he has produced & 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 currently producing/directing/editing 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). He was named to the  “Filmmaker of Tomorrow” program at the Telluride Film Festival for his short film  Relieve (1999). His other films include End of Era (Underground Zero, 2003), and The Last Stand (Best Feature, Backseat Film Festival, 2008). Choreographer Paul Taylor has called his films “superb – like poems made visible.” He has an MFA from Boston University in Film Production.

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