Appalachian Media Institute

08/22/2025

"We're not monsters... We just want to be ourselves and to just live our lives." - Oliver Baker, "Not A Daughter," 2016.

Watch "Not A Daughter" to hear more personal stories of growing up as an LGBTQIA+ youth in central Appalachia, available on the Appalshop YouTube page: https://loom.ly/3JQRx5A

🎥 Appalachian Media Institute, “Not A Daughter,” Oakley Fugate, 2016.

08/21/2025

Trans experiences in rural spaces — and Appalachia in particular — are diverse & varied. One thing they shouldn’t be? Violent or dangerous.

Watch the full "Not A Daughter" film to hear more personal stories of growing up as an LGBTQIA+ youth in central Appalachia, available on the Appalshop YouTube page: https://loom.ly/3JQRx5A

🎥 Appalachian Media Institute, “Not A Daughter,” Oakley Fugate, 2016.

08/15/2025

"I definitely think that students should be more involved in their education... The more that they become aware, the better it will be." - Emily Mellenkamp, "A Site for the Future," 1992.

Watch the full film on the Appalshop YouTube page here: https://loom.ly/8quiasc

🎥: Appalachian Media Institute, "A Site for the Future," Stacey Robinson, Scott Jones, and Justin Webb, 1992.

08/14/2025

In AMI's 1992 "A Site for the Future," eastern Kentucky students, parents, educators, and school administrators discuss the new site-based management methods being implemented in their local school systems. Community members discuss the potential benefits, as well as some problems that can come along with putting into practice new education models that shift the decision-making authority to local residents.

Watch the full film on the Appalshop YouTube page here: https://loom.ly/8quiasc

🎥: Appalachian Media Institute, "A Site for the Future," Stacey Robinson, Scott Jones, and Justin Webb, 1992.

08/07/2025

The 2011 AMI film "Missing Generation" focuses on children being raised by their grandparents and why this happens in our region, as told from the perspectives of a grandmother raising her grandson and a granddaughter, now with a mother herself, who was raised by her grandparents.

Watch the full film on the Appalshop YouTube page: https://loom.ly/c7r-pYs

🎥: Appalachian Media Institute, “Missing Generation,” Dillon Fisher, Candace Hughes, Olivia Sizemore, 2011.

08/06/2025

We want to say THANK YOU to everyone who came out Monday night to support our 2025 youth media interns as they premiered three brand-new documentary films and shared powerful community interview projects. Congratulations to our interns on a successful summer full of impactful stories, new skills, and unforgettable memories. 💚

We also want to celebrate our new AMI Program Manager Tommy Anderson, an AMI alum themselves, for completing their first summer leading the SDI program! We’re thrilled to have them back, guiding the next generation of young media makers. 🎥

📷: Oakley Fugate

08/04/2025

Folks, it's the moment we've all been waiting for... The 2025 SDI Film Screening is TONIGHT! 🎬💛

We hope you'll join us TONIGHT, August 4th @ 7PM at the new WMMT Studio (253A E Main Street, Whitesburg, KY 41858) to see three brand new youth-produced films! RSVP to the event here: https://loom.ly/1Jy_fzw

07/31/2025

Our end-of-summer SDI Film Screening is right around the corner! 🎬💚

We hope you'll join us on Monday, August 4th @ 7PM at the new WMMT Studio (253A E Main Street, Whitesburg, KY 41858) to see three brand new youth-produced films! RSVP to the event here: https://loom.ly/1Jy_fzw

07/30/2025

Come out to see some productions made by our SDI interns this summer!

Cowan Creek Interns will celebrate the summer on Friday, August 1st @ 6:00 PM at Cowan Community Center. Appalshophop AMI film screening happens at 5:30 PM.

We look forward to celebrating with Interns/Families, Community Mentors, and Partners. We will have stories, conversation, music, art, and refreshment. Please join us to celebrate.

07/29/2025

Two of our 2025 SDI interns, Olivia Conley and Hannah Damrom, took a break from film production last week to travel across the south with our friends at AMP Global Youth and fellow young people from across the world. Their goal: to grow as leaders and help tell the collective story of their generation.

Now, they're back at SDI with new skills, stories, and perspectives — just in time to kick off the final week of production on their brand-new films!

Huge thanks to AMP Global Youth for making this experience possible!

📷: AMP Global Youth