Farming Falmouth Film Series

It’s a cold, blustery night at the bottom of winter, the kind of night when most would stay in to Netflix and chill.

While tumbleweeds blow across the parking lot, a hardy crowd trickles into the warm neon lobby of the Falmouth Cinema Pub, drawn in by the promise of a food-centric documentary and community inspiration. They’re here for a documentary film series presented by Farming Falmouth, a non-profit that aims to support local farmers and connect residents with sustainable agriculture.

At the group’s first screening in February, The Biggest Little Farm brought squeals of delight and gasps of wonder as the protagonist filmmakers transformed an abandoned industrial farm in California into a polyculture paradise, guided by biodynamic farming guru Alan York.

Farming Falmouth hopes to foster a similar transition in its own backyard. The organization’s first major initiative helped secure town meeting approval to purchase Tony Andrews Farm, ensuring that 46 acres in East Falmouth will remain productive farmland and open space. The group also established a community garden on the Tony Andrews property and plans to install the infrastructure for a community orchard there in the coming year. Farming Falmouth’s long-term vision is to create community gardens in each of the town’s seven villages and create a grant program for local farmers.

Demonstrating the power of community-based agriculture — on the land and off — is central to Farming Falmouth’s mission “to support growers and educate eaters,” says Jeny Christian, a Farming Falmouth founder.

“In order to help farmers, we need to educate people about food and how their food is produced and all the challenges that farmers face,” says Christian, who also runs a salad greens start-up, Featherlight Farms.

“We hope this film series will start a conversation and spread the concepts behind local food further. If people are willing to go to a movie and stay for discussion about farmland stewardship, maybe they have expertise that can serve this mission. The more people get involved with their passion and motivation, the more we can accomplish.”

Local food may seem off-topic in a venue known for its nondescript pub food and Hollywood fare. But the Cinema Pub’s management is open to community-organized screenings, says Christian, and plans are in the works to feature locally-sourced specials at upcoming events.

Due to the closures brought on by the spring coronavirus pandemic, Farming Falmouth’s educational and entertaining film series for the spring was postponed. In response to the shortages in grocery stores and heightened demand for locally-grown food, the group shifted its energies to connecting residents with Cape-based farming and gardening resources.

Many of the titles featured in the film program, which ranged from the microbiology of soil in Dirt! The Movie to the magical world of mushrooms in Fantastic Fungi, can also be viewed online, for a small fee. A particularly timely documentary in the series is Living the Change. Filmed in New Zealand, the documentary explores solutions to the numerous imbalances of modern life through the stories of people pioneering change. From forest gardens to composting toilets, community supported agriculture and time banking, the film demonstrates that sustainability “isn’t just a nice idea, but it’s essential for the existential threats we face,” says Christian.

Farming Falmouth plans to resume its monthly screenings in the fall and offer hands-on workshops on everything from fruit tree care to lifestyle changes that incorporate local, seasonal foods. As soon as the films start again, the group will also welcome residents to its twice-monthly board meetings and workdays. For more information about the film series and how to get involved with Farming Falmouth, visit www.farmingfalmouth.org.