The Real Dirt on Farmer John

25/10/2008 08:07
Directed by Taggart Siegel
USA, 2007, 82 min.

DATE/TIME: Monday, Oct. 27 @ 9pm ~ one night only ~
LOCATION: Metro Cinema, 9828-101A Avenue (Zeidler Hall, Citadel Theatre)
ADMISSION:  $8 General Admission. Free to Farmers!

VIEW TRAILER: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqP1SC5Tr7U&eurl

Film Synopsis:

The Real Dirt on Farmer John will turn every idea you ever had about what it means to be an American farmer, or an American dreamer, on its head. Meet Farmer John, the incredible human being whose inspirational story of revolutionizing his family farm and redeeming his own life has won accolades and awards at film festivals around the world.
Director Taggart Siegel of Collective Eye made the film in a most unusual way—shooting farmer John Peterson over 25-years of their evolving friendship, and using multiple media, from 8 mm home movies to modern video—allowing him to capture his alternately humorous, heartbreaking and spirited life with raw drama and intimacy.
With the death of his father during the late 60s, a teenaged John takes over the traditional family farm, slowly turning it into an experiment of art and agriculture, making it a haven for hippies, radicals and artists. The Real Dirt on Farmer John charts the end of this idealistic era as the farm debt crisis of the 80’s brings about the tragic collapse of the farm.
As the intricate weave of rural America unravels, vicious local rumors turn John into a scapegoat, condemning him as a Satan-worshipping drug-dealer. Threatened with murder, his home burned to the ground, John forsakes his farm and wanders through Mexico, where he is transformed by the soulfulness and pageantry of this ancient land. Mysteriously, his quest leads him back to his hostile homeland.
Defying all odds, he gradually transforms his land into a revolutionary farming community, a cultural mecca, where people work and flourish providing fresh vegetables and herbs to thousands of people every week.
The Peterson family farm has become Angelic Organics, one of the largest Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms in the United States, a beacon of today’s booming organic farming movement.

Accolades:
 
“This is a loving, moving, inspiring quirky documentary." – Roger Ebert
“…one man's extraordinary life as a gateway to a larger history of tragedy and transition. It's an unflinching account of what farming takes—and, more important, what it gives back…” - Jeannette Catsoulis, The New York Times
An extraordinarily personal and invigorating saga of one man’s reclamation of traditional American ideals… this symbiotic artistry is surely one of the greatest films ever made about America’s farming traditions.” - Jeff Shannon, The Seattle Times
“What a blessing this film is, for everyone who’s chosen the road less taken, and even perhaps for anyone who’s stood in their way.” - Jan Stuart, NewsDay.com
“Beautifully shot. Heartbreakingly sad. Funny as sh!t. A+” - Portland Mercury, Oregon 
“Inspiring....outstanding documentary... an intimacy unimaginable in most nonfiction films. “ - Kevin Crust, Los Angeles Times
[One of the Top Ten films of the Year]. Funny, heart-stirring and hopeful...[No other documentary] has been so convincing in making the grass roots of our frequently divided country and culture seem so unifying and precious.” - Shawn Levy, The Oregonian 
“Unbelievably special… told with insight and humor.” - Al Gore
AWARDS (selected): Golden Gate Jury Award, San Francisco International Film Festival; Audience Award, Chicago Int'l Documentary Festival; Grand Jury Award & Reel Current Award, Nashville Film Festival; Grand Jury Award & Audience Award, Wisconsin Film Festival; Grand Jury Award, Cinemambiente Environmental Festival, Italy; Best Documentary, Seagate Foyle Film Festival, Ireland

This event is part of the ESPA’s 2008 North of Nowhere Expo: Festival of Independent Media & Underground Art. For more info call 780-434-9236 or visit www.edmontonsmallpress.org or see us on facebook. $8 General Admission. Free to Farmers.