Greece's New Farmers
by Victoria Bouloubasis for The Huffington Post
[vimeo http://vimeo.com/50199525]
Popular perception of Greece teeters between two extremes. One is based on serene, mystic island landscapes and a carefree gusto for life. The other extreme, the most present, is a daunting and glaring depiction of a dire economic crisis rife with violent civil riots, political rancor and an unrelenting sense of despair.
A new generation of young food activists strives to portray a more balanced idea of Greece. Pavlos Georgiadis, a 29-year-old PhD student and farmer, is leading a charge to portray a Greece that honors her ancient land and rich agricultural traditions bearing thousands of years of experience.
This weekend, "Farming on Crisis?", a series of documentary shorts produced by Georgiadis and other Greek youth, will be among 20 films screening at Los Angeles' ArcLight Cinemas 2nd Annual Documentary Film Festival on Nov. 5-8. The videos depict a Greece you would only know if you see for yourself -- a countryside landscape rolling in olive groves, a scene set by the harmonious cacophony of the cicadas buzzing. Georgiadis travels throughout the country interviewing young farmers, small-scale and conventional, to answer the question of how the economic crisis affects food security issues, and whether sustainable agriculture is a viable solution.
In a very real sense, Georgiadis and his young team aim to reclaim their country's dignity.
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