Located in the heart of Appalachia, the unincorporated community of Ivanhoe, Virginia has a population that’s just over 500. Its economic engine was once fuelled by rock quarries, railroads, and lead and zinc mines, but the area has been abandoned by the industries that were once its backbone, leaving rust, sinkholes and poverty instead. The Curse and the Jubilee takes us through Ivanhoe as its residents consider their economic ‘curse’, reflect on their values and community, and prepare to celebrate their annual 4 July jubilee. In exploring Ivanhoe, the US directors Ivete Lucas and Otis Ike deliver a bracingly honest and thoughtful portrait of poverty and race in rural America, free of oversimplifications and easy answers.