Filmmaker Deborah Koons Garcia, creator of Symphony of the Soil
Healthy Soil = Healthy Plants = Healthy Animals and Humans
The World Premier of Deborah Koons Garcia’s (The Future of Food) long awaited film, Symphony of the Soil, is 4pm Sunday March 25, 2012 at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History Theater. It is being shown as part of the DC Environmental Film Festival. (Find more information here )
If you’re reading this before March 25, and you’re in the DC-area, please make it out to this free event to show Debroah Koons Garcia that DC food community values films like this. A high turn out to this wonderful film will convince the DC Environmental Film Festival that there is a strong interest in films about food and agriculture. (And this is a good one!)
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SYMPHONY OF THE SOIL (USA, 2012, 103 min.)
World Premiere Drawing on ancient knowledge and cutting edge science, Symphony of the Soil is an artistic exploration of the miraculous substance that is soil. By understanding the elaborate connections and mutuality between soil, water, the atmosphere, plants and animals, we come to appreciate the complex and dynamic nature of this precious resource. The film also examines our human relationship with soil, including the use and misuse of soil in agriculture, deforestation and development, and the latest scientific research on soil’s key role in ameliorating the most challenging environmental issues of our time. Filmed on four continents, featuring esteemed scientists and working farmers and ranchers, Symphony of the Soil is an intriguing presentation that highlights the role of healthy soil in creating healthy plants that nurture healthy humans living on a healthy planet. Written, directed and produced by Deborah Koons Garcia. Produced by Lily Films. (from the DC Environmental Film Festival write-up here )
SYMPHONY OF THE SOIL: A Multi-Film Project by Deborah Koons Garcia
for more information about this film www.symphonyofthesoil.com
OVERVIEW
Symphony of the Soil is a 103-minute documentary feature film that explores the complexity and mystery of soil. Filmed on four continents and sharing the voices of some of the world’s most esteemed soil scientists, farmers and activists, the film portrays soil as a protagonist of our planetary story. Using a captivating mix of art and science, the film shows that soil is a complex living organism, the foundation of life on earth. Yet most people are soil-blind and “treat soil like dirt.” Through the knowledge and wisdom revealed in this film, we can come to respect, even revere, this miraculous substance, and appreciate that treating the soil right can help solve some of our most pressing environmental problems. In addition to the feature film, there are several short films, Sonatas of the Soil, that delve deeply into soil-related topics, and several short clips, Grace Notes, that are available to stream on the film’s website.
PRESS RELEASE
Mill Valley, California…Symphony of the Soil will premiere at the March 2012 Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital. It is the most recent film from filmmaker Deborah Koons Garcia, best known for her internationally acclaimed 2004 film, The Future of Food. The Future of Food premiered at Film Forum in New York and has screened widely around the world in theaters, film, food and farming festivals and conferences and in community screenings on every continent, including in India, Kenya, Bulgaria, Brazil and Indonesia.
DETAILED SYNOPSIS.
The first third of Symphony of the Soil is devoted to soil science: the birth of soil, the life cycle of soil, the physical components of soil, the soil orders, the microorganisms that cycle nutrients, soil and plants, and interrelationship of the many members of the soil community, including humans. By delving deeply into soil science with hands-on and charismatic soil scientists, viewers will develop an interest in, and fascination with, this miraculous substance.
Soil science is increasingly cutting edge and relevant. Because of advances in technology like electron microscopes and satellite images, we can examine this diverse material in ever greater detail. Soil is alive, and its health and survival are intricately connected to that of all life. A sampling of what we see in this first section includes: a visit to the glaciers of Norway with Dr Ignacio Chapela of UC Berkeley; an exploration with Dr. Pe