Some films to interest the Whole Foods set

Courtesy

“Homegrown Revolution” is a film about how a family is growing 6,000 pounds of fruit and vegetables on a city lot.

By Kristen Peterson (contact)

Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009 | 2 a.m.

Organic food farmer Jules Dervaes harvests up to 6,000 pounds of fruits and vegetables annually from the yard of his California bungalow, one mile from downtown Pasadena.

He has spent the past 20 years cultivating the organic garden, swapping grass for crops, on the one-fifth-acre plot. In 2001, in response to concerns over genetically modified food, he and his family launched an online project to share and document the process.

The short film “Homegrown Revolution” provides a glimpse of the Dervaes family lifestyle on their “urban homestead.”

The film is one of seven shorts selected for the Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival, which airs tonight at the Clark County Library and on Nov. 11 at the Springs Preserve.

Hosted by the Nevada Wilderness Project and Nevada Conservation League, the festival — an offshoot of the larger festival held each year in Nevada City, Calif. — looks at mostly individual efforts to reclaim land, save energy or preserve wildlife.

Included is independent filmmaker Richard Power Hoffmann’s account of his experience with a community-supported organic farm in “Fridays at the Farm.” The 20-minute film, narrated by Hoffmann, begins with his feelings of disconnect from his food and wanting his son to have access to food free of chemicals and genetic modification. He highlights relationships made at the farm, the advantages of fresh food, farming frustrations and a newfound connection with the land. Photography and time-lapse videos capture the planting and harvesting of vegetables.

“Division Street,” a 54-minute piece, looks at the landlocking of North American wildlife by roads and highways. Filmmaker Eric Bendick travels across the United States, documenting wildlife encounters with freeways that hamper migration needed for survival and documenting solutions that include landscaped underpasses and overpasses.

“Papa Tortuga” documents one man’s effort to save sea turtles in Mexico. Mackenzie Banta, developmental director for the Nevada Wilderness Project, says the films were picked for entertainment, educational and inspirational values and that organizers wanted to avoid negativity.

“Our goal is to help inspire the community to learn more,” she says. “People in the community want to get involved, but may not know how. This is about how we can take action.”

Representatives from those groups will be at the festival to discuss various issues and options.

Kristen Peterson can be reached at 259-2317 or at kristen@lasvegassun.com.