The Kennedy family has held starring roles in the country's political dramas, but Rory Kennedy, daughter of Robert F. Kennedy '48, has taken her family's political activism behind the camera.

Kennedy, a documentary filmmaker, paints a picture of grinding rural poverty in her latest film, "American Hollow," which she presented last night at the ARCO Forum.

The film follows a year in the life of the impoverished Bowling family of Appalachia.

"This is not just a family that considers itself to be victims. It is also a celebration of family, culture and spirit," Kennedy said. "Ultimately what this film is about is the indomitable human spirit that gets us through the challenges of life."

The film, which was first screened at the Sundance Film Festival over the summer, will air on HBO beginning Nov. 29 and continuing throughout the month of December.

In his introduction, Alan K. Simpson, director of the Institute of Politics and former Republican senator from Wyoming, praised Kennedy's work.

"She is a political activist and we cherish that--even though she is of the other faith," he quipped, referring to her family's Democratic heritage.

Kennedy said she was first drawn to the subject because of the trips her father and her uncle, John F. Kennedy '40, while campaigning for the 1960 election.