HILLBILLY is a documentary film that examines the iconic hillbilly stereotype in film and television, exploring more than a hundred years of media representations that reveal how mountain and rural people have been portrayed, often using two-dimensional language and humor to create negative stereotypes and embed a perception of poor, white, rural America. Featuring bell hooks, Ashley Judd, Jennifer Garner, and others, the film deconstructs these depictions while asking crucial questions: Where did the hillbilly archetype come from and why has it endured onscreen for more than a hundred years? How does it relate to the exploitation of the land and the people who live there? How do Appalachian and rural people view themselves as a result of these negative portrayals, and what is the impact on the rest of America? Finally, how does the way mainstream America treats the rural, working poor mirror long-held fears middle and upper classes have about who they are, and who they may become?

Directors | Ashley York & Sally Rubin

www.hillbillymovie.com/
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