O PIONEER
Film poster for "O Pioneer" with graphic design of home items in forest landscape.
O PIONEER
Film poster for "O Pioneer" with graphic design of home items in forest landscape.
Three West Virginians—a blacksmith, a seamstress, and a hospital chaplain—creatively navigate hardship and call us to champion the pioneer within

O PIONEER

Regular price $129.00
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AUDIENCE AWARD - Cinequest | BEST DOCUMENTARY - Rome International Film Festival

Life in Appalachia and the South • Diverse Socioeconomic Life in Mountains and Rural Communities • Navigating Hardship • West Virginia


Date of Completion: 2023 | Run Time: 74 minutes | Language: English & French with English subtitles | Captions: Yes | Includes: Transcript & Discussion Guide | A film by Coat of Arms | Director & Producer: Clara Lehmann | Director, Producer, Director of Photography & Editor: Jonathan Lacocque | Producer: Grace Lawson | Composer: Ho-Ling Tang

O PIONEER celebrates three Appalachians as they embark upon a journey through the midst of a pandemic and personal heartache. Weaving narration with archival pioneer footage, candid moments from each subject, poetic vignettes, and dream-like animation, O PIONEER asks viewers to courageously champion the pioneer within.

Cinequest Film Festival | Michael Rabehl, Programming Director
"It is rare for me to see a film which, after watching, I want to immediately watch again. Because I felt that so strongly after seeing O Pioneer. I believe it is a real testimony to the power within this incredibly inspiring film, filled with deeply personal stories of people whose experiences are moving. It is a film that is near perfection in its portrayal of the human heart and spirit, and it does so much through the poetry of its masterful storytelling."

Go Indie Now | Joe Compton, Journalist
"This movie gives you all the reasons in the world to hope for something to pursue a passion, to live in the moment, and to love all that you can."

Inside Appalachia | Bill Lynch, Journalist
"O Pioneer is full of surprises and wonder."

Film Obsessive | Tina Kakadelis, Film Critic
"O Pioneer stands as a beacon for the reality of West Virginia and the people who live there. A humble but proud call to the pioneer in all of us."

AWARDS
Audience Award | Cinequest
Best Documentary | Rome International Film Festival
Jury Award Nominee | Richmond International Film Festival
Jack Spadaro Documentary Award | Appalachian Studies Association
Best Video-Trailer | The Webby Awards
Winner for Graphic Arts | Emmy Award (Mid Atlantic Regional Chapter)
Silver Winner for Craft-Title Sequence | Collision Awards
Winner for Titles | Telly Award
Finalist, Motion Design | Promax Award in Global Excellence
Nominee, Best Cinematography | Slamdance Indie Awards

FESTIVALS
Cucalorus Film Festival
Big Ears Festival
Selected for the Southern Circuit in 2024-2025