‘Kiss the Ground’ Sequel Debuts at Tribeca, Shows Urgency for Food System Overhaul
NEW YORK — For soil health, the subject of documentary “Common Ground,” the show must go on if society is to prevent catastrophic climate disaster and food insecurity in the next decade.
Though some festivities were postponed amid New York State’s severe air quality health advisory, many screenings still went on. Debuting Thursday night at the Village East theater in Manhattan, “Common Ground” trails the documentary “Kiss the Ground,” featuring in-depth appraisals of the modern food system, soil degradation and biodiversity loss. The sequel compared U.S. industrial farming to regenerative farming, guided by heart-wrenching testimonies from real-life farmers. Given fashion’s ever-increasing investment into regenerative agriculture, the latest being Capri Holdings, the film is a timely watch.
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It traced the rise of herbicides, pesticides and the Green Revolution’s lasting imprint on American diets, much of it not-so-savory upon closer investigation. Woody Harrelson returned to narrate the film alongside fellow actors and activists Laura Dern, Donald Glover, Rosario Dawson, Jason Momoa and Ian Somerholder.
The film’s characters — the main protagonist being regenerative farming-convert Gabe Brown — didn’t flinch when interrogating the powers that propel modern agricultural growth. He and others probed concerns like the farmer suicide rate and big agricultural firms’ lobbying tactics. In a nod to Rachel Carson’s “Silent Spring” (1962), the film’s narrators outwardly chastised the reliance on harmful chemicals, especially the prominence of weed-killing agent Roundup (which contains known carcinogen glyphosate) and inventor Monsanto, among others.
Sporting a sharp pixie hairdo as in the film, Dawson joined Brown for the red carpet alongside the film’s co-directors Rebecca Tickell and Josh Tickell on the red carpet. Dawson held up a lookalike cardboard protest sign (that said “Common Ground” in bold letters) as seen during the film. Though the star power lent a helping hand in planting the seed for regenerative agriculture, farmers such as Soul Fire Farm founder Leah Penniman and more served to further crystallize the reality for viewers.
“Common Ground” film celebrations continue over the weekend, with a dinner and panel talk planned by nonprofits Kiss the Ground and Advancing Eco Agriculture, showcasing regenerative agricultural practices like cover cropping, livestock rotation and the like. Fashion is contributing a voice, too, with denim brand Citizens of Humanity’s chief executive officer Amy Williams (the brand is a regenerative agricultural advocate and partner) cohosting the event.
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