The Struggle of Coon Branch Mountain
“You can't get a bus without a road; they ain't gonna put no road without you got a bus”: this was the “Catch-22” faced by residents of this small West Virginia community who took a bitter and determined fight all the way to the governor's office. The issue was neither roads nor buses, but education, which, with the inaccessibility of the nearest high school, the children of Coon Branch Mountain have traditionally been denied. An engrossing account of parents fighting for their children's lives.
• Directed by Mimi Pickering. (1972, 13 mins)

In Ya Blood
In this semi-autobiographical drama a young man faces a decision typical of all Appalachian youth: whether to stay close to his roots, embracing the life of a coal miner with all its hardships, and family life with all its joys; or to leave for college and a “better life.”
• Directed by Herb E. Smith. (1971, 20 mins)

The Big Lever: Party Politics in Leslie County, Kentucky
A lively look at the absurdities of political loyalties on the grassroots level in this vehemently Republican county--the spot selected by Richard Nixon for his first public appearance since his ignominious resignation from the presidency. The constituents tell the story--revealing patronage, family pressures, and corruptions small and large to be the American way of politics--as the candidates glad-hand their way from hollow to hollow in search of votes. Historic footage of Nixon's welcome in Leslie County is a highlight of this film which took top awards at the Athens, Houston and Rotterdam festivals, and was a finalist at the American Film Festival.
• Directed by Frances Morton. (1982, 53 mins, Color)