“The Organic Life,” a documentary by local filmmaker Casey Beck, will have a work-in-progress sneak preview followed by a farm-to-table dinner prepared by the chefs of The Girl & The Fig at Jack London State Park at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 3.
The film is a yearlong chronicle of life on a Sonoma farm, where young farmer Austin Blair (pictured) returns to traditional agriculture practices. “There is an elegance and ease that comes with a purely pastoral lifestyle, said the filmmaker, but the choice to be a farmer comes with immense challenges.
“Turning back to the land in an organic way marks the beginning of a long, uphill battle: not only are you challenging the status quo, you are also, in many places, taking a vow of poverty,” Beck said.
Farmers are often presented as happy, well-meaning people, who work under a constantly temperate sun, in picture-perfect conditions on idyllic plots, brimming with vegetables ripe for the picking, she said. “In reality, they face increasingly unpredictable weather patterns, shifting markets, pests, and poverty.
Farmers work, rain or shine 365 days a year, and it’s no small wonder why so few would want the job. “But, I want to show the challenges and rewards that make farming not only employment, but also a calling.”
In this way, she said, the film is a merely a look how a sustainable farm itself is viable, “but also how the farm sustains its keepers.”
Beck has dedicated the past seven years to producing documentaries. Her films have garnered numerous awards and earned her a Fulbright Scholarship, while carrying the tenacious filmmaker to Mongolia, Argentina, and the Dominican Republic. “The Organic Life,” is her first feature-length film.
The work-in-progress screening will be followed by a family style dinner exquisitely prepared by the culinary team from The Girl & The Fig with seasonal, local produce provided by Paul’s Produce.
“We are honored to be included in this collaboration that combines and connects so many of our passions,” said the Sondra Bernstein of the Girl & The Fig. “We can’t wait to cook this meal for friends that appreciate good food and care about our planet.”
The one-time work-in-progress screening of is a fundraiser to help complete this timely, eye-opening documentary as well as a forum for community discussions on food, agriculture, sustainability, and the arts.
Tickets to the event, held in London’s House of Happy Walls, are $150 at 939.5337 or Theorganiclifemovie.com.
Photo by Meg Clouse
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