Beyond Measure

Herb E. Smith. 1994. 16 mm Film. 

There is a constant tension between the forces of an ever-changing economy and the need to have stable communities. As technologies change, workers can lose their jobs and whole communities can be capsized. Beyond Measure looks at thousands of coal miners who are losing their jobs as newer and bigger machine moves through the coalfields. The film places the present challenges in a larger historical context and documents efforts of citizens to rebuild their communities, highlighting the beauty and challenges of living in the mountains through people's descriptions of their daily lives in their own voices. They describe how the mutual aid and support of extended families and attachments to the land are more important than the things economists usually measure, prompting questions about the true costs of economic and technological change.

“‘Beyond Measure’ teaches us that paying jobs my come and go, but ultimately it is family, resiliency, and a sense of community that really counts.” — Radford University 

“A beautiful film about Appalachian people and their relationship with the land and its rich resources that are often owned by corporations elsewhere.” — Loyal Jones, Berea College’s Appalachian Center

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