Look for the Helpers: A Helene Story

Runtime: 38:57

Look for the Helpers: A Helene Story, is a short documentary that highlights the hometown heroes driving recovery efforts after Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina in 2024. Through the director’s personal connection to the Appalachian Mountains, the film offers an intimate look at communities rebuilding in the wake of disaster, focusing on stories of resilience, hope, and collective action that inspire viewers to engage with and support their own communities.

Director - Lainie Robertson

Lainie Robertson is a Nashville-based filmmaker and a graduate of Belmont University. Originally from Hendersonville, North Carolina, she draws inspiration from her Appalachian roots and incorporates that heritage into her work whenever possible. Look for the Helpers: A Helene Story marks Lainie’s debut as a documentary filmmaker.

Directors Statement

When I lost my home in 2022 due to major flooding, the only thing I could think of was rebuilding, and the only other thing I could think of was damage. What did I lose in the water? How could I replace it? How much did it cost?

For the archive, I think a similar mindset is there. How do we reclaim what we lost? How much will it cost to return it? Except, for most of these valuable pieces of Appalachian history, they cannot be replaced—they are delicate memories that cannot be brought back.

My own flood story is tied into Appalshop’s, because Appalshop is also my home. What grief I felt then is felt tenfold in the archive, where a large percentage of our history has been lost forever.

I wanted to highlight the work that the archive staff do on a daily basis, which is a constant and evolving process of preserving, cleaning, maintaining, moving, storing, shipping, moving again, and so on. The archive staff dedicate their lives to preserving what is essentially our culture. Their efforts should never go unnoticed.