WHEN: 7 p.m. Thursday, November 7, 2013
WHERE: West Virginia University – Downtown Campus
Due to overwhelming interest in SOJ alumna Elaine McMillion’s documentary, “Hollow,” the screening is being moved to a larger venue. The event will now be held at WVU’s Business and Economics building, room 458, at 7 p.m.
“Hollow: An Interactive Documentary” merges cinematic techniques with web-based storytelling to encourage a dialogue about the issues facing small-town America. The project examines the lives of 30 individuals living in McDowell County, W.Va., an area that is representative of many boom-and-bust communities across the country. McDowell County has lost almost 80 percent of its population since 1950 and continues to lose more young people every year due to a lack of economic opportunity. This rural “brain drain” has left many counties across the nation with an aging demographic and failing infrastructure. The 22,000 residents who continue to live and work in McDowell County feel a great sense of pride and belonging and believe they are there to help improve and move the county into the future.