Coal Miner: Frank Jackson
Thematic Chair-Making, Ship-Breaking, Pole-Dancing, Coal-Mining, Thread-Cutting, Cart-Pushing, Cane-Cutting, Chain-Forging: Films on Work & Labor Curated by Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert
From the Appalshop archive comes this black-and-white piece of history that provides a rare and authentic look at coal miners in the early 1970s. The film features Frank Jackson, who has spent his life in the mines and speaks unapologetically of unions, prejudice, and the coal-mining way of life. Stark and simple, this 12-minute film does what history books can’t—it captures the deep mountain accents of the black-faced laborers and takes you down into the dark claustrophobic caverns where they spent their days. RYS
Director
Ben Zickafoose
Producers
Appalshop, Inc.
Editor
Ben Zickafoose
Cinematographer
Ben Zickafoose
Release Year
1971
Festival Year
2010
Country
United States
Run Time
12 minutes