Harlan County USA

Opens Friday, May 1, 2026

New 4K Restoration! 50th Anniversary!

 

Barbara Kopple’s Academy Award–winning HARLAN COUNTY USA unflinchingly documents a grueling coal miners’ strike in a small Kentucky town. With unprecedented access, Kopple and her crew captured the miners’ sometimes violent struggles with strikebreakers, local police, and company thugs. Featuring a haunting soundtrack—with legendary country and bluegrass artists Hazel Dickens, Merle Travis, Sarah Gunning, and Florence Reece—the film is a heartbreaking record of the thirteen-month struggle between a community fighting to survive and a corporation dedicated to the bottom line.

 

“One of the most important films ever made about American labor.” – The Nashville Scene

 

“Few documentaries rivet you to your seat; this one does. The guts it took to make are up there on the screen.” – Film Comment

 

“Articulate, indomitable, courageous…the film retains all its power.” – Roger Ebert

• Country USA
• Year 1976
• Running Time 103 minutes
• Format 4K Restoration
• Distributor Janus
• Director Barbara Kopple

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.