Spreading the seeds further...

If you haven't seen it before - and especially if you have - I encourage you to sit back and enjoy this movie trailer / music video put together by PolyCultures director Tom Kondilas.  It's an achingly good song, and from the images and lyrics a distinct narrative arc emerges:

PolyCultures has spread the message of the "seamless web of sustainability" further than we could have predicted:

• Premiered at the 33rd Cleveland International Film Festival to a hometown crowd of 1000
• Official Selection of the largest environmental film fest, Wild & Scenic 
• Featured in the first film festival at the Community Food Security Coalition's renowned food justice conference
• Screened in over a dozen states/countries (see the 2009 and 2010 lists to the right)
• Aired by Cleveland PBS affiliate WVIZ along with the national premiere of Food Inc. to commemorate Earth Day 2010

It's been viewed by over 10,000 - many of whom were inspired to do a little more (or a lot more!) to create an all-around healthier food system.

I think it's easy enough to see why when you watch this trailer highlighting the "problem > solution > action" theme of PolyCultures:

By the way, the music at the start there is gritty on purpose, just like we intentionally left in the endearing intro to the Harold Hartzler section everyone seems to love best:

A lot of people who support that kind of sustainably-produced food have the means to do so and an increasing number of options available.  But how many people in poverty-stricken areas with limited food access could use to see the poignant message that in many locations the food system may be convenient but is actually pretty messed up... and to also see efforts happening around them that could soon be reversing that trend...

How many college libraries out there could put a couple copies of the DVD in circulation, giving many different types of courses an engaging teaching aid...?  How many public libraries could lend a copy to community members who might be inspired to join a garden or host a CSA program...?

We want more people who see these clips or have caught a public screening to get a home-use copy and later lend it to friends... or maybe even think about setting up their own public screening.

Here are some ideas on how you might screen it.  Since writing that last July it's been on PBS, sold a number of public-use copies, been reviewed in the Ethicurean, and been screened over a dozen times across the country.

But forget the accolades - what could be more compelling than watching the first few minutes for free and deciding if you want to see the rest...?