Blog

March, 19, 2019

The Seed Saver

Independent Lens

Kristyn Leach was adopted as a baby from South Korea by an Irish-Catholic family on Long Island. It was her rebellious spirit that led her to farming, and it became a way for her to connect with her identity and…
Bringing back a bounty of nutria, in Rodents of Unusual Size
Beyond the Films
January, 10, 2019

11 Questions for 3 Filmmakers About a Million Swamp Rats

Craig Phillips in Beyond the Films

The trio of filmmakers behind the Independent Lens film Rodents of Unusual Size -- Jeff Springer, Chris Metzler and Quinn Costello -- have previously captured unique environmental stories with a very human element to them, as Jeff and Chris made the…
From the film Rodents of Unusual Size, animation of nutria overrunning on island in Louisiana
Beyond the Films
January, 4, 2019

Invasive Species Turned into Sustainable Delicacies

826chi in Beyond the Films

by Claralyse Palmer Vegetarianism has become synonymous with environmentalism, the idea being that going meat-free saves not just animals but the planet (which certainly has some truth to it, especially when it comes to cattle). But the Independent Lens film…
A Napa winery worker peers into a grapevine, in a scene from Harvest Season
December, 6, 2018

Harvest Season

Independent Lens

Harvest Season probes the lives of the multigenerational Latinos, temporary laborers, and permanent residents intimately connected to the production of premium wines in the Napa and Sonoma regions of Northern California — in the midst of one of the most…
Nutria hunter, on the bayou, in Rodents of Unusual Size
September, 5, 2018

Rodents of Unusual Size

Independent Lens

Rodents of Unusual Size is a real-life horror "tail." Louisiana residents south of New Orleans have faced many an environmental threat, from oil spills to devastating hurricanes. But a growing menace now lurks in the bayous and backwaters: hordes of…
Beyond the Films
July, 20, 2018

Great American Melting (Crock)Pot: Comfort Food Recipes from Independent Lens Family

Craig Phillips in Beyond the Films

In trying times, we turn to food. Especially comfort food, recipes from childhood, from our families, that warm our spirits and send us back to simpler times. We reached out to some of the participants and filmmakers behind a diverse…
Proud to be a farmer emblem on back of farmer's shirt, in Look and See
Interviews
April, 19, 2018

Laura Dunn Draws From Wendell Berry for Look at Rural America

Craig Phillips in Interviews

Laura Dunn's first feature documentary, The Unforeseen, executive produced by Robert Redford and Terrence Malick, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, aired on the Sundance Channel, and was called "a poetic and high-minded meditation on American developers' manifest destiny and…
The Masumoto family farmers on a tractor in the Central Valley California peach farm
Beyond the Films
April, 18, 2018

Organic Farmer, Writer Mas Masumoto Shares Sense of Place with Wendell Berry

Independent Lens in Beyond the Films

by Mas Masumoto [pullquote]"The two of us have something often overlooked in today's fast-paced world: history on the land and a sense of place."[/pullquote]I dream of Wendell Berry visiting my farm. I imagine us two old farmers, stopping along the…
(From the film SEED) Heirloom corn seed is one of lost seeds we have reclaimed and is being saved by farmers across the country.
Beyond the Films
April, 13, 2017

Banking on Seeds: Rare, Diverse, and Endangered

Jennie Z. Rose in Beyond the Films

When National Geographic Magazine reported that about 94% of the world’s vegetable seeds circa 1903 are now missing from the Earth, Taggart Siegel and Jon Betz promptly started work on a feature-length documentary about the seed saving movement. The product…
Women sort seeds from vegetables at a farm, fron SEED
Interviews
April, 12, 2017

Filmmakers Share the Roots of their Seed Documentary

Craig Phillips in Interviews

With SEED: The Untold Story, filmmakers Taggart Siegel and Jon Betz complete a trilogy of sorts, after The Real Dirt on Farmer John and The New York Times Critic Pick Queen of the Sun: What Are the Bees Telling Us,…
Will Bonsall, seed saver and organic farmer holds endangered corn seeds on his farm and seed bank in Industry, Maine.
November, 2, 2016

SEED

Independent Lens

Worshiped and treasured since the dawn of humankind, few things on Earth are as miraculous and vital as seeds. SEED: The Untold Story follows passionate seed keepers intent on protecting our 12,000 year-old food legacy. In the last century, 94%…
Beyond the Films
January, 22, 2016

Hawaiian Food: A History and Recipes for Your Football Feast

Independent Lens in Beyond the Films

Honolulu chef Mark Noguchi of Mission Social Hall & Cafe and his wife Amanda make a great team. "One of us handles the logistics and delegates responsibilities (so we don’t end up with a dinner of dessert)," Amanda says, "while the other…