Triton College Professor’s Documentary Airs Nationally on PBS Station

For Immediate Release: March 2, 2026

Triton College Professor’s Documentary Airs Nationally on PBS Station

Triton College professor and filmmaker Seth McClellan (left) poses with Bob Martin, producer to promote their documentary, Shiners: Voices from Owsley County.

RIVER GROVE, Ill. — Triton College professor Seth McClellan of Oak Park is set to reach a national audience with his latest documentary, Shiners: Voices from Owsley County.

The film, now available nationally on Kentucky’s PBS station, KET, follows a group of high school students in one of the nation’s poorest counties as they write and perform an original play, transforming personal struggles into a powerful statement of hope.

McClellan, who teaches film and media at Triton College, has won several film festival awards for the feature, including best documentary and best picture.

Shiners is McClellan’s third film in a trilogy exploring the lives of youth facing systemic challenges. His earlier films, Little Wound’s Warriors: Voices from the Badlands, immersed viewers in the lives of Lakota students on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, while Others Before Self: Voices from Tibetan Children’s Village featured Tibetan refugees working to preserve their culture in the Himalayas. Across his documentaries, McClellan said he finds a unifying theme — the power of youth to rewrite their own narratives.

"The problems that come with poverty, and this goes for all groups around the world regardless of identity, you see addiction and broken families and hopelessness," says McClellan. "And so, my film is about a group of students looking to tell their stories in a way that is truthful but also not shameful or extractive or exploitative. So, the film and the play that the students wrote, that the film is about, is really about not sensationalizing poverty."

Shiners: Voices from Owsley County is available to watch at pbs.org.

 

###

Media Contacts:
Melissa Ramirez Cooper | melissacooper@triton.edu | 708-456-0300, Ext. 3496
Hunter Oberst | hunteroberst@triton.edu | 708-456-0300, Ext. 3820

ABOUT TRITON COLLEGE:
Triton College is a public institution of higher education dedicated to student success. Recently recognized by the Aspen Institute as one of the Top 200 community colleges in the nation, Triton offers more than 130 degree and certificate programs that prepare students to pursue meaningful careers, transfer to four-year universities, and thrive in a global economy. Guided by our mission—Valuing the individual, educating and serving the community—Triton serves nearly 17,000 students annually on its 110-acre campus in River Grove, Illinois. Our dedicated faculty and staff provide high-quality, accessible and affordable educational opportunities that empower students and strengthens the communities we serve. Triton College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and a member of The Illinois Community College Board. Illinois is home to 45 colleges in 39 community college districts. Learn more at triton.edu.