Farm to Film Fest 2023
Saturday, Oct 21, all day
JAM Space and Briggs Opera House, Downtown White River Junction, VT
Join us for a day celebrating the farmers and farming practices that are working towards a livable climate! Come to downtown White River Junction for scrumptious local eats, a stunning art show, and thought-provoking films. There will also be live music, square dancing, and hands-on activities for kids and families.
It matters how farmers farm and eaters eat. Our current food system is not supporting people or the planet – but there is tremendous hope for change. By developing a deeper understanding of regenerative agriculture, and the indigenous practices it is rooted in, we can all do our part to support transformational change.
The Farm to Film Fest is a collaboration between JAM (Junction Arts & Media), Vital Communities, and King Arthur Baking Company. The event costs anywhere from $0-$40 but everyone will need to register for the day. Put the date on your calendar and order a pass today to ensure your spot!
Co-hosted by Vital Communities, JAM (Junction Arts Media), and King Arthur Baking Company.
Agenda
9 am and on – Climate Farmer Stories Exhibit – JAM
The Climate Farmer Stories Project promotes Upper Valley farmers who are digging in on the climate crisis, using their farms to draw down carbon, cool the climate, and build food security and community resilience. We’re changing the story of farming and climate by highlighting thirteen farmers that are taking direct action to address climate change. Seven Vermont and New Hampshire artists worked with them to create portraits. Listen to interviews, find where you can buy their products, learn how agriculture can be part of the climate solution, and what you can do to increase community resilience.
10 am – “Get Your Hands Dirty” Family Fun Pop Up – JAM
Learn about soil health with flour and water, plant seeds, and create your own DIY time-lapse setup to record your plant growing from seed to sprout at home. Help create a collaborative animation by coloring in a Climate Farmer Stories Portrait. This hands-on pop-up is a collaboration with the Upper Valley Farm to School Network and is fun and educational for all ages. Be ready to get your hands dirty!
Noon – Local Lunch – JAM
What’s broken in our food system? Come discuss it with festival participants and pass holders alike over delicious, local food!
1:30 pm – Exploring Indigenous Foodways – Briggs Opera House
Details to come.
3 pm – Shorts Films About the Big Picture – Briggs Opera House
Come see a curated collection of short films about the ways our food system is broken and how we might fix it. We’ll be showing shorts that both center the Upper Valley and explore issues nationwide. A panel of local farmers and activists will accompany this screening so stick around for the conversation after the show.
4 pm – Climate Farmer Meet & Greet – JAM
Come meet the Climate Farmers in person and enjoy pastries provided by King Arther Baking Company. Network with other environmentally minded farmers and activists!
6 pm – Community Square Dance – The Liminal Lounge
Come square dance with us! Lead by experienced caller Nils Fredland to live music by Beecharmer (Jes Raymond and fiddle ninja, Jakob Breitbach). All ages and experience levels welcome.
7 pm – Feature Film: Common Ground at The Briggs Opera House
Introduced by Vermont Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman, with pre-film musical performance and Abenaki language presentation by Jesse Bowman Bruchac.
COMMON GROUND is the highly anticipated sequel to the juggernaut success documentary Kiss the Ground, which touched over 1 billion people globally and inspired the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to put $20 billion toward soil health.
By fusing journalistic exposé with deeply personal stories from those on the front lines of the sustainable food movement, COMMON GROUND unveils a dark web of money, power, and politics behind our broken food system. The film reveals how racist practices forged our current farm system in which farmers of all colors are literally dying to feed us. The film profiles a hopeful and uplifting movement of white, black, and indigenous farmers who are using alternative “regenerative” models of agriculture that could balance the climate, save our health, and stabilize America’s economy—before it’s too late.
Featuring narration from Donald Glover, Laura Dern, Woody Harrelson, Jason Momoa, Rosario Dawson, and Ian Somerhalder, Common Ground is the winner of the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival Human/Nature Award.
