Growing Local, a new film series by Seedlight Pictures and Maine Farmland Trust, will premiere during the Camden International Film Festival on Sunday, September 28th. The screening will start at 5pm at The Strand Theatre in Rockland, and will be followed by a panel discussion on Taking Local to the Next Level with Ted Quaday, Executive Director of MOFGA, Bonnie Rukin, Slow Money Maine, and Amanda Beal, Sustainable Food Systems and Policy Consultant, and moderated by John Piotti, President of Maine Farmland Trust.
Watch the trailer here: http://www.growinglocalfilms.org/
GROWING LOCAL: Pig not Pork, Seeding a Dream, Changing Hands
While “buying local” is on the rise, the stories in Growing Local make clear that small farms and access to locally produced food is not a sure thing.  In three short films we meet the young farm couple Ben & Taryn, who, on risky sweat-equity, have revitalized a famously fertile piece of farmland into a thriving community food hub, artisanal butcher Ben who helps us better understand how healthier, thoughtful meat production can be supported and sustained, and Richard and Adam, father and son organic dairy farmers struggling to keep their family farm going and in the family. These three poignant vignettes help us understand the interconnected fates of Maine’s small farms, consumers and the local food movement.
Featuring: Ben & Taryn Marcus at Sheepscot General, Ben Slayton at Farmers Gate Market, and Richard & Adam Beal at Rocky Ridge Organic Dairy.