GAINING GROUND
A New Documentary Film by Elaine Velazquez & Barbara Bernstein
“Gaining Ground is a warm and wonderful film that journeys into the future of food and agriculture. Hopeful, critical, poetic.”
Bill Bigelow, Curriculum Editor, Rethinking Schools
“I recommend this excellent teaching tool for anthropology, ethnic studies, small farms, and food justice programs in high school through graduate level university courses. Offering rich and authentic insights into the challenges, opportunities, and journeys of farmers and community activists growing food as a vehicle for creating social change, the film offers an in-depth examination of important issues and captures viewers’ attention.”
Eric T. Jones, Ph.D. Visiting Assistant Professor – Anthropology, Oregon State University
“I loved this film – how it rooted big issues within the narratives of such compelling individual personalities.”
David Naimon, host of Healthwatch and Between the Covers, KBOO-FM
GAINING GROUND is now available on DVD. Individual sales are for personal use only – to be shared with friends and neighbors but not for public screenings. The educational rate for K-12 is for sales to single schools. School districts interested in purchasing the film should contact us at mediapro@spiritone.com.
WATCH THE TRAILER
GAINING GROUND, a feature-length documentary film by Elaine Velazquez and Barbara Bernstein, tells personal stories of farmers making extraordinary changes in their farming practices to feed their local communities sustainably grown produce and grains. The documentary interweaves experiences of urban farmer-activists in inner city Richmond, California, a small family farm in rural Oregon converting from commodity dairy to chemical-free produce and a large farm in the Willamette Valley transitioning from grass seed to organic grains. The film personalizes class, gender, race and environmental justice issues by rooting them within narratives of compelling individuals. As these stories unfold, the film explores the devastating effects of the 2012 Chevron Richmond refinery fire on Urban Tilth in inner city Richmond and the impact of the 2013 discovery of GMO wheat in Eastern Oregon on Stalford Seed Farms in the Willamette Valley. While the movie is sober about the obstacles to creating change, at the same time it points the way toward hope. GAINING GROUND instills in its viewers the potential to create change on a personal, local and global scale. GAINING GROUND will be broadcast on public television, screened in theaters and film festivals around the country, streamed on the internet and released on DVD and Blu-ray disc for the home market. Please support the distribution of GAINING GROUND by clicking on the donate button above to help us get this film out as widely as possible. All donations are tax deductible.
