AMERICAN HOLLOW Documentary Series

This compelling story of an Appalachian family caught between past tradition and the modern world encompasses many of the disquieting and politically-charged social conflicts facing America today.

For seven generations, the Bowling family has lived in Saul, Kentucky, one of the poorest and most isolated parts of Appalachia. Like much of the Appalachian population, the Bowling clan fits the profile of a poor, rural family struggling for such basic needs as health care and education. Proud homeowners with a deep regard for land and family, the Bowlings are now threatened by a lack of job opportunity and dwindling welfare spending. And just as the promise of steady wages draws many Appalachian families down from the hills, the influx of fast-food restaurants and satellite TV slowly erodes the existing culture.