Grappling with “Insider” and “Outsider” Documentary Filmmaking: Sally Rubin on hillbilly

From The Beverly Hillbillies to Buckwild, and from Coal Miner’s Daughter to Deliverance, the face of Appalachia has long been defined (and stereotyped and exploited) by the Hollywood eye. And in the wake of the 2016 presidential election the caricaturing continued, this time at the hands (and pens) of the press corps on the other coastal liberal side.

Enter native Appalachian documentarians Sally Rubin (Deep Down) and Ashley York (Tig) to remedy historical wrongs. In their LA Film Festival Best Documentary Feature winner hillbilly the duo systematically take a wrecking ball to every highly offensive yet socially acceptable white trash cliché. Embarking on a six-state odyssey both grassroots political (the Affrilachian Poets) and highly personal (York’s Trump-loving Granny Shelby), the co-directors manage to create a loving portrait of their homeland that both enlightens and entertains.

Filmmaker caught up with Emmy-nominated director Rubin prior to the doc’s January 8th (digital/cable/satellite) release via The Orchard.

To read my interview visit Filmmaker magazine.