To Make a Farm - inspiring film about organic farmers in Canada

• tomakeafarm.ca/

"It's pretty neat that your convictions can also be your life," says one of the subjects of Steve Suderman's documentary about small-scale organic farming. Here are people who've decided to put their money where their mouths are, turning their environmental idealism from theory into practice as they set out to establish their own local-supply food sources using sustainable means. We see trials, tribulations and triumph: livestock illness, soil irrigation catastrophe, social isolation and more--but at the end of the day a strong sense of satisfaction and optimism. The film is an inspiring example in these days of societal apathy and corporate hegemony, with its subjects living testaments to the validity of Gandhi's dictum, "Be the change you want to see."

The film gets personal, giving us a close-range view of humanity along with a detailed portrayal of the nuts and bolts of agriculture. The farmers come from various backgrounds and levels of relevant education, but they share a determination and generosity of spirit that's positively infectious. Environmentalist docs are growing in numbers as the global situation worsens, but this one is exceptionally hopeful. It's wonderful to see a film in which positivity and practicality are so closely linked. What Suderman and his subjects are saying is “Your convictions can be your life, too.”