Movies to Engage: Truck Farm and PLANEAT

Last night, the Environmental Film Festival hosted the DC premiere of the film Truck Farm and the US premiere of the film PLANEAT. 

Truck Farm documents the development of, literally, a garden in the back of a pickup truck.  The film also features a variety of urban gardens around New York City, including a rooftop farm, a community garden, a garden on a barge, and a window farm (and no, that is not just some flower pots on a windowsill - you can learn more about it here).  The storytelling is fantastic, and the movie was really a joy to watch.  The film is narrated in song and features some great animation that looks like it was cut from a Trader Joe's circular.

In a discussion after the screening, the filmmakers indicated that there are now 25 truck farms in 25 cities; one is being developed in DC by the DC Central Kitchen.  So you might see one in your neighborhood!  If you have an opportunity to see the film, I would highly recommend  it.  You can learn more about the truck farm here and see about screenings here.

PLANEAT examines the virtues of a plant-based diet from both health and environmental perspectives.  The film prominently features research from Professor Emeritus T. Colin Campbell (from Cornell!) regarding the the impact of diet on health, and specifically the link between a plant-based diet and reduced risk of cancer.  Also highlighted is a treatment program developed by Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn Jr., in which a shift to a plant-based diet is purported to cure heart disease.  From an environmental perspective, Professor Gidon Eshel from Bard College discusses the impacts of various diets (notably a Western diet of plants/meats/dairy and a plant-based diet) on the environment, particularly related to greenhouse gas emissions and reactive nitrogen creating dead zones in oceans, as well as the most efficient diet in terms of converting land area to calories.

The story is told in a more traditional documentary style, and is composed mainly of a series of interviews (no songs here, unfortunately).  However, interspersed with the academic research are interviews with a number of chefs in which the chefs prepare delicious-looking vegan dishes (I left the theatre pretty hungry).  I am not sure I am going to go vegan at this point, but the film is a fantastic reminder to eat more plants, and particularly more whole foods.  If you are interested in diet from a health perspective or an environmental one, the film is definitely worth seeing (and especially if you are concerned about cancer or heart disease).  You can learn more about the film here. 

If you want to see the film, PLANEAT is one of six films that will be presented in an upcoming film festival that Whole Foods Market has organized in seventy cities (the other movies look really interesting as well).  You can find information about that film festival here and see about screenings near you here (sadly, that film festival is not free).

The T. Colin Campbell Foundation also provides a wealth of information about a plant-based diet, and their website is here.

Oh, and one last thing.  ARKive is one of the sponsors of the Environmental Film Festival, and their website is AWESOME.  The website provides information about endangered species and features both an encyclopedic amount of information and some absolutely stunning photography and videography.  The website is definitely worth checking out - you can find it here.