OPENING NIGHT

Grand Prix Competition

THE REAL DIRT ON FARMER JOHN




Taggart Siegel

Country of production: USA
Year: 2005
Language: English
Mins: 83

Production company: Collective Eye
Producer: Teri Lang
Script: John Peterson
Cinematography: Taggart Siegel
Editing: Greg Snider
Sound: Barney Jones
Music: Mark Orton and Dirty Three

Source: Collective Eye
442 Shotwell Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
Tel.: 415-467-2049
Fax: 415-6477456
e-mail: teri@collectiveeye.org


This epic tale of maverick Illinois farmer John Peterson and his 20-year struggle to redefine his family’s farm was voted Audience Favorite at Slamdance. John is now proprietor of Angelic Organics, one of the largest Community Supported Agriculture operations in the U.S. Boasting hundreds of Chicago shareholders, it’s an extended village where people and art thrive alongside chemical-free, consumer-involved agriculture. But getting there was far from easy. John came of age in the late 60s. His love for the land and his family’s farming heritage coexisted with his artistic sensibilities. While a student at Beloit College, he made the farm into a haven for hippies, radicals and artists. This idealistic era ended with the farm debt crisis of the 80s and John forced to sell the majority of his acreage. Meanwhile, vicious local rumors turned John into a scapegoat and a mysterious fire destroyed his home. But farming was in his blood and by 1990 he was ready to start again with a different approach. Filming over 20 years, director Taggart Siegel has created a gripping emotional story of the transformation of an individual and his community, and the necessity for innovation and risk in response to changing circumstance.


Taggart Siegel has been directing and producing both documentary and narrative films for 20 years. His films have been shown PBS, National Geographic Television, and are distributed worldwide. Taggart is also the founder of Alchemy Films, and independent production company and is the President of Collective Eye, Inc. a non-profit media organization based in San Francisco.

Filmography

Split Horn: Life of a Hmong Shaman in America (2001)
In the Shadows of the Pepper Tree (1995)
Heart Broken in Half (1990)
Blue Collar Buddah (1988)
Ember Days (1987)
Between Two Worlds (1986)
Bitter Harvest (1983)
Affliction (1981)

FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2005 AT 8.00 PM. / DOC FILMS
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6, 2005 AT 1.30 PM. / GALLERY THEATRE