Sunday, March 13, 1:00-4:00pm
Schedule of Films
Howard’s Farm
Filmmaker: Ivan Cash
2014. 6:12 mins
This film profiles an 86-year-old farmer from Marlboro, NY; the filmmaker grew up next to Howard’s farm. Howard passed away in his farmhouse in August of 2015, shortly after the film was finished. Shown at the Woodstock Film Festival in 2015.
Food for Thought, Food for Life
Filmmaker: Susan Rockefeller
2015. 20 mins
Susan Rockefeller’s new short film was filmed in part in Columbia County at Hudson Pines Farms, established by Margaret and David Rockefeller. Says Susan Rockefeller, “We want our food fast, convenient and cheap, but at what cost? As farms have become super-sized, our environment suffers and so does the quality of our food. Food for Thought, Food for Life explains the downsides of current agribusiness practices, and also introduces us to farmers, chefs, researchers, educators and advocates who are providing solutions.” This film was shown at FilmColumbia at the Crandell Theatre in 2015.
The Perennial Plate Episode 81: Farming State of Mind (NYC)
Filmmaker: The Perennial Plate
2012. 7:21 mins
Profiles a variety of urban gardening initiatives in NYC.
I’m Farming and I Grow It!
Filmmakers: The Peterson Farm Bros
2012. 3:32 mins
The Peterson Farm Bros are Greg (25), Nathan (22), and Kendal (19) Peterson, and they love agriculture. This is one of a series of parodies they have created, making them YouTube stars.
Forward Farming: The Next Generation of American Agriculture
Filmmaker: Cassidy Davis
2013. 9:04 mins
With the future of agriculture resting upon the shoulders of the next generation, Forward Farming provides a look into the life of a 22-year-old farmer, Wade Benards. The film documents Wade’s journey, showing the challenges and opportunities of a young farmer during this crucial time in American agriculture.
The Cream Rises: Local, Sustainable Milk from the Hudson Valley
Filmmaker: eatTV
All milk is not created equally. So says Sam Simon, who ditched his career as a successful orthopedic surgeon to start Plankenhorn Farm, a small farm that produces what he calls premium quality dairy products. In the past 30 years, New York State has lost 75% of its dairy farms. With low milk prices, high production costs, and competition from industrialized farming, farm after farm has shuttered. New York still ranks third in the country for milk production, but it’s being produced on larger, increasingly more productive farms. Includes footage of Ronnybrook Farm and the Hudson Valley Fresh cooperative. 2012. 5:40 mins
Massachusetts Farm
Filmmaker: Joshua Baum
2013. 6 mins
Farming is a vital influence on the landscape, economy, and culture in the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts. Images collected frame by frame on vivid Super 8mm color film create an expressionistic experience of the shapes, patterns, and textures of local agriculture. Time becomes malleable. The camera emphasizes geometry, plays with light and shadow, and animates inert machinery. Shown at Films at the Farm (Amherst, MA), Milwaukee Underground Film Festival, and Experimental Film Festival Portland (Oregon) and others.
The Greenhorns
Filmmaker: Severine von Tscharner Fleming
2010. 50 mins
Armed with a camcorder, farmer-filmmaker-activist and former Hudson resident Severine von Tscharner Fleming spent two years criss-crossing America, meeting and mobilizing a network of revolutionary young farmers resettling the land. The Greenhorns is an ode to their grit and entrepreneurial spirit, an exploration of sustainable agriculture, and an enticement to reclaim our national soil. The film is the culmination of over 200 hours of original footage from all regions of the United States, as well as original animation by young urban farmer and artist Brooke Budner and rare agricultural archival footage from the Prelinger Archives.
Panel Discussion
Meet Your Maker Reception
Farmers, Filmmakers and Movie Goers: Immediately following the festival, please join us at The Pub
(Peint O Gwrw at 36 Main Street) for our annual Meet Your Maker Reception. Enjoy complementary snacks featuring local foods as well as a cash bar, and mingle with your neighbors.
Peter Paden, Columbia Land Conservancy Executive Director, will moderate a discussion with local farmers, including time for Q&A. Panelists include Chris Cashen (The Farm at Miller’s Crossing) and Dan Mannis (Common Hands Farm).
Film sourcing and selection:
Mary Gail Biebel, Annie Brody, Jessica Brooks, Tom Crowell, Landra Haber, Heath Iverson, Jeff Lick, and Steve McCarthy.