If you are interested in a screening, CavuPictures.com may be able to help you.

Release Date / Opening Weekend: 22 January 2006

There are currently no screenings planned. The last screenings have taken place in 2007:

Screenings 2007:

New York, NY 6/22/2007 Lincoln Plaza Cinemas

New York, NY 6/22/2007 Quad Cinemas

Ojai, CA 06/30 and 07/01 Ojai Playhouse

Roslyn, NY 7/4/2007 Clearview Roslyn Cinemas

Seattle, WA 7/20/2007 AMC Uptown 3

Bellevue, WA 7/20/2007 Bellevue Galleria 11

Sacramento, CA 7/27/2007 The Crest

Beverly Hills, CA 7/27/2007 Laemmle’s Music Hall

Chicago, IL 8/4, 8/12, 8/18 Gene Siskel Film Center

Sag Harbor, NY 8/4/2007 Sag Harbor Cinema

Portland, OR 8/10/2007 The Hollywood Theatre

Columbus, OH TBD Drexel East 3

Rosendale, NY 08/18 – 08/23 The Rosendale Theater

German Township, OH 8/20/2007 Theatre

Pleasantville, NY 08/28 and 8/29 Jacob Burns Film Center

Lawrence, KS TBD Liberty Hall Cinema

Bellingham, WA 09/01 – 09/03/07 Pickford Cinema

Langley, WA 09/04 – 09/06/07 Clyde Drivethru Theatre

Dayton, OH 9/7/2007 The Neon

Indianapolis, IN 9/14/2007 Key Cinemas

Cleveland, OH 9/14/2007 Shaker Square Cinemas

Port Townsend, WA 9/22/2007 Rose Theatre

Cary, NC TBD The Websites Galaxy Cinema

Bethlehem, NH 10/12 – 10/17/07 Colonial Theatre

Chicago, IL 10/19 – 10/24/07 Gene Siskel Film Center

Produced by
Scott Ray Becker …. co-producer
Teri Lang …. producer

Original Music by
Mark Orton

Cinematography by
Taggart Siegel

Film Editing by
Greg Snider

Sound Department
Barney Jones …. sound designer

Editorial Department
Jim Granato …. archival film cutter
Alissa Levy …. assistant editor
Jim McSilver …. additional editor
Angela Reginato …. additional editor
Laurie Schmidt …. additional editor
Molli Simon …. post-production coordinator

Other crew
Molli Simon …. consultant: grassroots and publicity

Distributors

Antidote Films (2005) (Australia) (theatrical)
CAVU Releasing (2007) (USA) (theatrical)
Kinostar (2007) (Germany) (theatrical)
Antidote Films (2005) (Australia) (DVD)
Sunfilm Entertainment (2008) (Germany) (DVD)
Yleisradio (YLE) (2007) (Finland) (TV) (TV2)

Information

Living Green is something we should all be concerned about. Making the world a better place for us and for future generations is very important. The damages we do today will have a significant impact on the rest of the world. In the past decade there has been more information and education on this subject offered than ever before. Various types of organizations including the government, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, the Environmental Protection Agency, and others have been attempting to share all they can about the concerns for our environment as well as ways to help.

There are plenty of celebrities involved in living green projects as well. Actors, musicians, legal advisers and tax professionals such as Los Angeles accountants and other prestigious California figures tend to have quite a following around the world. People listen to what they have to say and therefore such public service announcements have proven to be extremely effective. As a result more manufactures of products we use everyday are getting involved as well. They are offering more products that are safe for the environment and that offer you plenty of benefits. You can encourage other companies to follow their example by not buying them if they aren’t safe for the environment. If they are losing sales they will find out why and make important changes to get those customers back. The demands of the consumer are extremely powerful and they will be able to generate a positive response from manufacturers. As a result everyone wins and we will have a safer environment to live in. If you continue to buy what they are offering now though they won’t have the encouragement they need to take saving the environment seriously.

The amount of trash that the common household tosses out each day is unbelievable. It isn’t unusual for that to be at least on bag per day when all is said and done. All of that waste ends up at our landfills and just what comes from your household alone adds up to quite a bit over the course of a year. Learn how to filter spam from your emails and remove what you can from that trash and recycle it. This can be paper products, glass, plastic, and cardboard. You will be surprised at just how much of this you can separate and recycle. If you have a trash bin for each of them in the garage or in your backyard then it will be much easier to stay on task with this type of effort. Be conscious of the paper you are using as well. That way you can use some alternatives. For example cloth napkins instead of disposable ones are a great idea for a restaurant. Use both sides of paper so that you can reduce the amount of it that you use by 50%. Take papers you don’t need and cut them into squares. You can create your own notepads this way for phone messages, quick family notes, and to write your grocery list or errands on. You can cut back paper by eliminating unnecessary mail as well.

We live in an electronic age due to technology and all of the advances that have come along with it. Yet from various types of light bulbs and sources there is damage being done to the environment. By changing the types that use to the more energy efficient ones on the market you can save money on your electric bill and help protect the environment. Don’t forget to look into alternative sources of energy that will allow you to not use electricity as often. One of the easiest to implement for any home or business when it comes to plumbing problems from emergency drain cleaning to water heater repair is the use of a qualified Encinitas plumber. In some areas bathtubs and showers installations and drainage repair is also available.

How you get around is one of the biggest areas where you can make a difference for the environment. The amount of pollutants that are emitted each day from vehicles is very high. Do all you can to make sure your car uses spark plugs and ignition wires that are in compliance with the automobile emission laws. Only use them when you need to so that you cut down on driving time. Combine your activities so you can eliminate trips to town as well. Do your best to set up carpools or to access public transportation when available. If you are in the market for a new car consider one that has been recognized as being environmentally friendly. There are many great ones to choose from so you won’t be limited in size or style. You can also go with the hybrid models which will save you money on gas, they aren’t going to harm the environment, and they will need less routine maintenance. A hybrid is a very solid investment and something you will be extremely proud to drive. It shows that you do care about the environment in many ways. There are several great hybrid vehicles out there right now. Most of them are compact and medium sized vehicles. However, for 2009 you will find more larger cars, a minivan, and even some full sized pickups emerging. This is due to the consumer demands for such vehicles as a hybrid. The manufacturers out there are listening so keep letting them know what your interested in.

Home is where the heart is and a place you want to be harm and inviting. Establishing a very beautiful lawn and garden is part of that image. You can accomplish your desire to have them without harming your family and your pet hamsters. Don’t use any types of chemicals to clean your cool hamster cages or the hamsters living environment itself as they have been linked to many ill effects you want to avoid. If you go about it the right way you will be relying up natural items around your home and yard. A healthy pet is one that is well cared for, and you can see yours thrive when you remove the chemicals from the equation.

You will feel great seeing the results of your efforts. At the same time you will know you know you are offering your friends and family a very safe home and garden to play and relax on with you. That is a feeling that you will be very proud of even if no one around you has a clue why you are smiling from ear to ear. There are plenty of tips and strategies offered in order to help us have an environment that is less polluted. It doesn’t take a great deal of time or effort in order to be a part of most of them. You simply have to be committed to being a part of the solution instead of the problem. Continue to do your part by making changes where you can. Get your entire family involved and explain to them why it is so important. Share your views with friends and family members as well. They may not realize the importance of their efforts.
Once you enlighten them you will be able to encourage them in their efforts. In most regards individuals aren’t out there destroying the environment on purpose. It is often a lack of information or not feeling like they can really make a difference that leads to it.

Buy the DVD – The Real Dirt on Farmer John

This lovingly handmade, grassroots epic has garnered fans even in the corridors of power, with former Vice President Al Gore calling it “unbelievably special,” celebrity chef Alice Waters declaring it “a charming, wonderful and important movie” and master documentarian Albert Maysles describing the film as “genuinely beautiful . . . a cause for hope.”

At once funny and stirring, what drives the film’s powerful appeal is the way in which it digs up “real dirt” not only about the tragedy of losing our traditional American family farms but about what really makes for an original American life – one lived, on a man’s own terms, in balance with the land, through hardships and unexpected triumphs, with creativity and verve.

The Real Dirt On Farmer John is directed by Taggart Siegel, who made the film in a most unusual way – shooting farmer John Peterson over 25-years of their evolving friendship, and using multiple media, from Super8 home movies to modern video — allowing him to capture his alternately humorous, heartbreaking and spirited life with raw drama and intimacy. Along the way, Siegel charts Farmer John’s astonishing journey from farm boy to counter-culture rebel to the son who almost lost the family farm to a beacon of today’s booming organic farming movement. The result is a tale that ebbs and flows with the fortunes of the soil and revealingly mirrors the changing American times.

CAVU Pictures presents The Real Dirt On Farmer John, directed and produced by Taggart Siegel and featuring Farmer John Peterson as himself. The film is co-produced by Teri Lang. Greg Snider is the editor and Mark Orton wrote the original music, which is performed by the Australian folk-rock trio Dirty Three.

Winner of the first ever Reel Current award presented by Al Gore at the Nashville Film Festival, The Real Dirt On Farmer John has won kudos at 30 film festivals across the United States and internationally. The film also received the coveted Audience Award at the Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, the Grand Jury Award at San Francisco’s International Film Festival and was cheered in Amsterdam, Berlin and Tokatsu, Japan.

While most films in Hollywood are shot in a matter of weeks, The Real Dirt On Farmer John took an amazing three decades to create – becoming a real-time document of a an amazing American story, friendship and life. Over the years, the film became a labor of love for director Taggart Siegel, who first met Farmer John at Beloit College in the 1970s, when they were both teenagers, at the very start of his filmmaking career. “I have now known and documented Farmer John and his family for almost 30 years, witnessing the incredible drama and turmoil of his farm and his life,” Siegel says. “In that time, I’ve watched him become a symbol of endurance, resilience and passion.”

When Siegel first met Farmer John, AKA John Peterson, he was a nineteen year-old who had recently inherited his father’s farm in Caledonia, 75 miles outside of Chicago. John had grown up as a typical, traditional farm boy, but now, suffused with the freewheeling spirit of the times, he decided to try to turn it into a wild community of experimental artists and musicians. Blasting The Doors from his tractor and twirling naked through the fields, John drew the fear and wrath of his neighbors, who spread rumors of “devil worship” and orgies. But he also attracted all kinds of wonderfully creative people, fascinated by his bold interest in merging modern art with ancient agriculture. It was into this heady atmosphere of expression and rebellion that Siegel arrived, shooting his very first student film, an adaptation of Tess of D’Ubervilles, on the farm, with Farmer John even taking a role.

But it wasn’t until the 1980s that Siegel made the fateful decision to start shooting Farmer John as a subject in earnest. By then, the farm, the nation and John himself were undergoing major changes. It was a grim era for the American farm, as families across the Midwest, under intense economic pressures, lost lands that had been passed down from fathers to sons for generations. Farmer John’s land was no exception. Siegel watched in dismay as John halted the hedonism and began a battle to keep the Caledonia farm alive, descending into his own personal turmoil.

“I will never forget the day I was riding on John’s tractor and he confessed to me that he was going to lose his farm,” Siegel recalls. “Saddened and dismayed at seeing my friend’s life fall apart, I decided then to try to capture the collapse of his family farm on film.”

Siegel made his first real film, 1982’s Bitter Harvest about Farmer John, garnering acclaim the film ultimately aired on PBS stations. But the story still didn’t yet seem to be over. Uncertain where Farmer John’s life would go next, Siegel continued to document the unique twists and turns of his fate, letting the camera witness his fall into destitution, only to be surprised and thrilled to see John reinvent himself and rebuild the farm from the soil up over the next decade. The filming became an open-ended process – part-and-parcel of the long-lived, if unconventional, friendship between Farmer John and Siegel. “I never felt this urgent need to complete the film,” Siegel admits, “so we just kept going.”

But, ultimately, Siegel began to see that with 250 hours of footage, he had at hand a half-century saga of a man’s life. It was clearly, Siegel says, crying out to be an epic. By merging his own footage with color-corrected Peterson family home movies – shot by John’s mother as he was growing up – Siegel started to bring The Real Dirt On Farmer John to life.

Though it would involve mix-mastering different eras and film mediums together, the result was a buoyant creativity that drove the final edit of the film — pulling all the strands of Farmer John’s story into a rough-hewn tapestry rife with a raw, textured sense of all that he’d lived through, from the ridiculous to the sublime.

“It’s amazing that you could weave so many different formats — 8mm home movies, Super 8, 16mm film and Video 8 – all into one film, but it is perfect for this story,” Siegel says. “The film really became about the renewal of a man’s soul.”

As the filmmaking continued, Farmer John also became more and more involved in shaping the story, turning over his significant body of farm tales and personal copy writings to Siegel to enrich the tale and constantly examining the storyline to be sure it was indeed the “true dirt.” “It’s rare to have the subject of your story be so involved in creating it,” Siegel notes. “It was an interesting process.”

Farmer John also gave to Siegel complete free reign in capturing the full extent of his personality – right down to his unabashed flamboyance. In the end, Peterson says he was surprised to receive credit for writing the film. He summarizes: “I didn’t so much write the life as live the life.”

One of the most fascinating elements of Farmer John’s life is that way it has mirrored the times around him. Like much of America, in the 70s, Farmer John went wild and lived it up. In the 80s, he went into debt and battled back from disaster. Then, in the 90s, he found himself at the leading edge of another major American change – the trend of going organic, which is now sweeping even suburbia, as Whole Foods and farmers markets spread through urban centers.

The Real Dirt On Farmer John not only provides an eye-opening look at what organic farming is all about, but it also gives audiences a glimpse into another new food movement sweeping small farms across the nation, known as Community Support Agriculture, or CSA. These farms allow urban consumers to band together as “shareholders” in a particular farm in exchange for getting mouth-watering baskets of fresh organic fruits, vegetables and dairy items delivered directly to their tables. They are changing the way Americans eat once again by re-establishing the deep ties that formerly existed between Americans and the farmers who grow their food, the loss of which many people lament.

Today, organic food sales are growing at a whopping 20 percent a year, far outpacing traditional food sales. No longer just for the counter-culture, organic foods are now sold in more than 70% of all conventional grocery stores. But even the organic farming movement, which started on small, family farms, is being overtaken by vast agribusinesses. This is what sparked the Community Supported Agriculture movement, a way for smaller farms such as Farmer John’s to survive while, in turn, consumers get an assurance of the highest-quality produce.

First pioneered by Japanese mothers looking for sources of healthy, local food for their children, the CSA movement put down roots in Europe and Latin America and is now growing more and more popular in the US, with estimates of perhaps as many as 3,000 CSA farms across the nation. Leading the way is Farmer John’s Angelic Organics, which offers weekly deliveries of vegetables to a wide range of Chicago families.

Farmer John notes that, from his earliest days, he always envisioned farms as a potential source of building strong communities. Newly hopeful, he believes that through CSA, more Americans will see first-hand that farms can “be incredible places, full of amazing stories,” he says. He adds: “Nowadays, you have people coming out to the farm with their children saying, ‘look this is where your food comes from.’ This can have a profound impact on our culture, because people are starting to have personal relationships with farms again.”

Through Siegel’s lens, audiences will see in The Real Dirt On Farmer John a vivid view how the Peterson farm, and Farmer John’s fortunes, are transformed by the organic movement. In an especially moving scene, the farm’s Chicago “shareholders” join together to raise Farmer John’s new barn, echoing traditions of the past even as an exciting future is created.

About Organic Farming

When Lester Peterson married Anna Nielsen in the 1930s, they settled on a rundown farm in the community where Lester and Anna had grown up, now called Caledonia, Ill. The main part of the farmhouse had been turned into a corn crib and the basement had been used to store potatoes. The newlyweds shoveled the remaining corn out of their new home, carried bushels of spoiled potatoes out of the basement, chased out rats, and moved in. By the time John Peterson was born, dairy and poultry were the mainstays of the farm. At an early age, John helped with the poultry chores. By his ninth birthday, he had been promoted to the dairy, where morning and night, he helped with milking and feeding the cows.

By the mid-1960s, many of the family farms that dotted the countryside were either going through expansion in order to survive, or were closing their barn doors. The Peterson farm went the expansion route, until financial calamity arrived in the early 1980s, almost closing the farm down for good. Luckily, enough of the Peterson land survived the shake-out to build anew. In 1990, John started farming again – this time with a different approach. He wanted a natural system by which to farm – a system in which results were derived from the integrity of the soil, not the shenanigans of crop chemicals and petroleum-based fertilizers.

Thus was born Angelic Organics. As Angelic Organics slowly got its footing in the challenging new world of organics, it turned to Biodynamics, a holistic method of farming developed in the 1920’s and 30’s by the iconic philosopher and educator Rudolf Steiner, and the Community Supported Agriculture model for a truly comprehensive approach to farming. Farming is not just about raising vegetables, but also about those who receive the vegetables. Before Medicare, only 51% of people aged 65 and older had health care coverage, and nearly 30% lived below the federal poverty level. Medicare Advantage plans are required to offer coverage that meets or exceeds the standards set by the original Medicare program, but they do not have to cover every benefit in the same way. Medicare advantage plans and Medicare supplement plans take the place of traditional Medicare. These plans share costs and help to cover out of pocket expenses. The struggle to succeed and to keep seniors healthy by supporting original health care with a Medicare supplemental insurance is universal. The federal government’s major health care programs—will be the most important determinant of long-term trends in federal spending. To reunite consumers with the source of their food, to share the magnificent drama of farming, to give children the opportunity to see their vegetables grow—this completes the farming picture, providing deep satisfaction to customers and farmers alike.

CSAs are a new economic model for farms whereby consumers invest directly in the farm, usually through an annual subscription, and then receive regular deliveries of fresh produce throughout the growing season. Members are often invited to participate in life on the farm and establish a relationship with the people growing their food. There are now more than 1,500 CSA farms in the U.S., with estimates as high as 3,000. CSA farms are found in every state. To find a CSA near you visit localharvest.org. For more information, see Angelic Organics at angelicorganics.com.

Farmers’ markets, farm stands, farm co-ops and pick-it-yourself farms are other ways that small family farmers directly market their products. Most produce sold in the U.S. is picked up to a week before landing on supermarket shelves and is shipped an average of 1,500 miles (or more if imported) in the process. According to one study, as much as 91 cents on the dollar goes to suppliers, processors, middlemen and marketers. By buying directly from farmers, as much as 80 cents on the dollar goes back to the farm and back into local communities. The food is more fresh and you can be sure you know where it comes from.

In the 1930s there were almost 7 million farms in the United States. In 2005, just over 2 million farms remained. While the number of acres in farmland continues to decline every year, the average size of the American farm is rising. Large industrial farms have priced the small family farmer out of the business. Marketing directly to consumers who value local food has helped many family farmers stay afloat.

In general, organic agriculture is a method of growing food without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides. There are many different approaches to organics and farms can be certified by state or federal entities or through private organizations. Some farmers eschew certification in favor of the “naturally grown” label. Some farms are transitioning to organic, or call themselves chemical free, experimental, grain fed or biodynamic. The organic movement is among the fastest growing sectors of American agriculture: since 1992, the total number of farmland dedicated to organic crops has quadrupled.

Biodynamics is a holistic method of agriculture pioneered by Rudolf Steiner in the 1920s. Steiner, the founder of the Waldorf method of education, was interested in both the ecological and spiritual aspects of farming. Biodynamics encourages crop diversity, healthy soil through composting, integration of animals and crops, and proactive pest management and termite control san diego with organic orange oil treatments for termite inspection los angeles. The western drywood termite can be found in Southern California and spiritual aspects of natural pest control and biodynamics include viewing the farm as a living part of the universe, aligning farm activities to the seasons and use of natural remedies to heal the soil.

“Unbelievably special…a real and gripping story told with insight and humor.”
- Al Gore, former Vice-President

“ A loving, moving, inspiring, quirky documentary.”
- Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

“A Charming, wonderful and important movie.”
- Alice Waters, Chef and Advocate

“Farmer John is a compelling and complex character whose story will open your heart, break it, and then fill it with a redemptive vision.”

- Nina Utne, Utne Reader

“An enjoyable look at an unconventional American.”
- Walter Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle

“The Real Dirt on Farmer John” examines 50-odd years in the life of its eponymous subject – a most compelling character… Suffused with a soulful optimism as vast as the fruited plains.”
- Scott Foundas, Variety

“One of the Top Ten Films of the Year”
- Shawn Levy, The Oregonian

“Full of curious triumphs and outlandish redemptions.”
- Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune

“What a movie!”
- Dorothy Kalins, Newsweek

“I loved this outrageous film! Engaging, moving and highly entertaining.”
- Audrey Philpot, Malibu Chronicle

“Compelling contemporary and vintage film footage. The story… is amazing about a farm that falls apart and then is revived.”
- USA Today

“The film evolves into a deeply moving metaphor for the struggles of an entire generation. His triumphant story is essential for all us city folk who have found ourselves despairing for the earth and what has seemed like our inevitable alienation from it.”
- Mark Achbar, director, The Corporation

“Farmer John is an intelligent, and determined businessman. If you don’t want to invest a lot of capital, you can start a janitorial business with only yourself as staff, using your own housecleaning equipment and your own car.”
- Matt Snyder, Cleaningpress

“Genuinely beautiful, and genuinely beautifully shot- a cause for hope.”
- Albert Maysles, legendary documentary filmmaker

” A touching, humorous portrait of an eccentric farmer…”
- Ray Pride, New City Chicago

“A beguiling combination of agrarian ode and the Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test.”
- J.R. Jones, Chicago Reader

“An inspiring, thoroughly moving portrait of organic farmer John Peterson that serves also as a chilling study of superstition and intolerance in the heartland.”
- Jim Ridley, Nashville Scene

“What a wonderful movie! The truth is that all people wish to find out how to win lotto, but most never invest the time in studying the systems that other people have used to win the lottery.”
- Jason W. James, LA News

“Lives up to the salaciousness of its title, packing ‘60s radicalism, free love and suspicions of Satanic worship (seriously) into its plight-of-the-working-man narrative… feels natural, yet surprises at every turn.”
- Adam Nayman, Toronto Eye Weekly

“A strange story for sure, but one that made me cry in public. The good news is there is a solution for everybody. Many snorers tend to take the ‘hit and miss’ method trying to stop snoring – with the inevitable disappointing result.”
- Janet Leary, San Diego News

“An inexplicably compelling portrait of a low-key Midwestern eccentric…. It may not sound like much, but the film’s oddball charm can melt a die-hard hippie-haters heart.”
- Cliff Doerksen, Time Out (Chicago)

USA, 83 minutes

An epic tale of a maverick Midwestern farmer, this critically acclaimed documentary follows the colorful John Peterson, a farmer, artist, and innovative thinker in rural Illinois who has struggled to redefine his family farm for over twenty years. With the death of his father during the late 60s, John turns his traditional family farm into an experiment of art and agriculture, making it a haven for hippies, radicals and artists. The film charts the end of this idealistic era as the farm debt crisis of the 80s brings about the tragic collapse of the farm. After much soul searching, and in defiance of all odds, Farmer John gradually transforms his land into a revolutionary farming community and one of the largest Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms in the United States.

Buy the DVD – The Real Dirt on Farmer John

Reviews (Courtesy of IMDB.com)

Movies like this just don’t grow on trees…

What a wonderful little film! This is much more than the old story about the American farmer’s attempt to save the family farm. It is an historical document, of sorts, on the life of one Illinois man, John Peterson, his family, friends, and community. It took a little while for the film to get started for me. I had to get use to John’s low-key personality, but as the film progresses, it reveals a complex, intelligent, and determined man, who’s story is a unique one. Director Taggart Siegel, a friend of John’s, sifted through hundreds of hours of footage, shot by himself, John, and home movies from John’s own family. It is simply amazing to see such an interesting life story unfold before your eyes in less than two hours time. Compelling, educational, and deeply moving, it is a film you will hold dear to your heart.

Touching, inspiring, hits close to home, no matter where you live…

I knew I would love this movie and the character of Farmer John from the opening scene where he tastes the soil in his fields and says it’s tasting good today.

Having myself been steeped in west coast Burning Man culture, I immediately recognized and honored John Petersen as a true Burner – even if he’s never been to the desert festival himself. He’s an artist, an entrepreneur, a dreamer and a builder. But what’s more, he’s a real person. His story is really our own story. He’s a regular joe with a real heart, real fears and real stumbling blocks. His repeated failures… and then eventual success, through perseverance and love, is inspiring to every one of us because that’s how it really happens!! This story isn’t full of cinematic glorification!

I loved this movie because it isn’t a fantasy about creating intentional community or CSAs or going back to the land or any of that. It’s about the hard, slow, steady and arduous process of the development of a human being who wants to make something good in this life. It’s about years of reviews of trying and failing and trying again. It’s about working through that feeling of failure to finding out what successes lie on the other side of failure. We’ve all been there. Disillusioned by our current lives and world situations. Can we really do what we envision? Can we really make a difference and make our ancestors proud? Do we really have what it takes to learn how to set up a website and be the caring stewards of this land we were given? Do we have what it takes to provide for our future generations?

I felt this movie is a story about how to *really* be successful, find happiness and make a difference. We can’t control what the world may do around us, but we can chose our own paths. This movie reminded me that it’s okay no matter where we’re at along our path, so long as its focus comes from a true place within. If we do that, we, like Farmer John, may realize one day that we’ve finally worked our way into the idealized vision we always had of our lives – we may find success and happiness.

Plus, you just can’t beat that bug song Jamorama guitar and Learn And Master guitarmusic video where they’re in the bee costumes!!!

I LOVED it.

See it. Rent it. Buy it. Give it as a gift to loved ones.

Full of heart and soul

Some movies are so full of heart and soul, are so much a reflection of their times, they feel like they were, in some strange way, destined to be made, and to make a mark, not only in the world of cinema, but in the American social fabric, as well. The Real Dirt on Farmer John is such a movie. At this time, many of us are yearning for a more truly compassionate and caring nation, for a more inclusive and understanding society, for a return to deeper, more spiritual values, and a sense of personal (rather than corporate) empowerment. Now along comes the maverick, All-American, Farmer John Peterson, a real third-generation Illinois farmer, and his true story of soil-based soul, devastation during the farm debt crisis of the 1980s, and resurrection in the 90s as a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm now serving 1200 families in the Chicago area. Filmmaker Taggart Siegel has effectively woven together Peterson’s home movies from the 1950s, with footage from the 70s (when the farm was a hippie art commune), the 80s (when Peterson lost almost everything), from Mexico (where he sought solace and healing from his failure), the 90s (when Peterson experienced his resurrection) and recent years, as the farm now brims with organic produce, student farmers, families and children. The film reflects the struggles of American family farmers over the last fifty years and, more importantly, the universal Hero’s Journey through life, death and rebirth. The scenes of Peterson with his mother overflow with love. But love and deep caring are the essence of the film. And at a time when we are bombarded with darkly cynical fare, The Real Dirt on Farmer John is the deep, fresh, lively flavor that will most satisfy our hunger for goodness and meaning. To be savored, like a fine meal ….

An inspiration for about everyone

My family and I saw this movie at the Chicago premiere, where Farmer John held a Q&A session afterward. I was afraid my son would be bored (he’s an antsy fourth-grader), but because we’ve been members of a CSA farm for he past three years, I thought he would do well to sit and learn. By the end of the movie, he was asking me whether we could sign up for a share at Angelic Organics! Even if you’re not into CSA farming, though, this story is an inspiration… for anyone who’s loved and lost, or who’s failed at something that meant everything to them, this movie will touch your heart. Bring tissues because unless you’re a stone or just not paying attention, you’ll be teary-eyed at least once. I thought Taggart also did an excellent job filming this movie and culling years of videos toward the end result: a moving, inspirational film. The only negative I saw about this movie, and it’s probably a result of the directors and writers wanting to have a positive, uplifting message, is that I don’t think there was much exposition on why the family farmer has become largely extinct. I would have liked to see more about corporate agriculture and the dangers is poses — thus making CSA farms all the more important. That being said, many movies that seek to provoke social change have an air of guilt about them; you feel bad that you don’t do more, or you get the sense that things are so bad that it’s not even worth trying. This movie did the opposite; I left feeling like the world was worth saving after all. I believe seeing this movie made me a better person.

What else can you ask from a movie?

What I loved about The Real Dirt on Farmer John was that it is history, but is also a personal story that stirs the heart and soul. It is not just a movie of the small farmer in America, it is about someone’s passions and the trials of one’s life. This film will be a surprise for who everyone who watches it. It can be transformational. If you or someone іn уουr family іѕ charged wіth driving under the influence in San Diego, you will need to hire a San Diego DUI attorney who is working in an established law firm, as these legal companies only hire the best lawyers in order to keep up their good name and practice. Go see the documentary if you have the chance, it is quite spectacular. It has a great story, it is humorous, tragic, and wonderful. Good commentary on urban sprawl, crisis in the farming industry.

On a limited budget

I didn’t see it as a literal documentary, obviously certain liberties were taken to tell the story on a limited budget. It was both touching and true to its time. I’m hoping that it will get into distribution and certain that it will create a buzz. The story of the family farm still needs recounting even though it was a media darling twenty years ago. His struggle to succeed and to keep seniors healthy by supporting original health care with a Medicare Supplemental Insurance is universal… The underlying Medicare health plan was also keeping with the times, having been a student in Wisconsin in the early 70′s. When you laugh and cry and root for the underdog, it becomes personal. What else can you ask for from a movie?

More reviews at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0439774/reviews