Film director and actress Rachel Ward is not the first person you’d expect to join a farming revolution.
But in her new film, coming to Avoca Beach on July 27, Ward voyages from wilful ignorance about the ecological impacts of conventional agriculture on her own rural property to embracing a movement to restore the health of Australia’s farmland, food, and climate.
Rachel’s Farm will play at Avoca Beach Picture Theatre on July 27 and will include a Q&A session with Ward and special guests Maree Lowes and Cheralyn Darcey.
Rachel’s Farm sees director and actress Ward, who owns a farm in NSW with her husband Bryan Brown, move from ecological despair to finding hope in the soil beneath her feet through regenerative agriculture.
“My inspiration for Rachel’s Farm came from reading Charles Massy’s book, Call of the Reed Warbler, which details the challenges and accomplishments of many early adopters of the regenerative way of farming,” Ward said.
“I was galvanised by the heroics of these farmers’ stories, many of whom had gone bust from farming conventionally in ever degenerating soils and increasing droughts.
“I too hit a wall in the summer of 2019-20 when, after a three-year drought which forced me to buy feed, then sell half my herd, I was surrounded by Black Summer fire.
“I lost all my fencing and my faith in any miracle arriving to save our country from destruction.
“With the very pressing realities of climate change and a new grandson I, too, was galvanised to take meaningful action with not only the way I farmed but, as a filmmaker, how I could employ my skills to spread the word about the most hopeful response to climate change that I had ever encountered.
“I see this documentary as a personal account of one woman’s journey in the transition from conventional/industrial to regenerative farming as a very real response to climate catastrophe.
“I will serve the role of someone in search of answers to the world of regenerating and rehydrating landscapes and sequestering carbon.
“I see the fight to address climate change as the most pressing concern of my lifetime and will engage every ounce of my ability and time I have left to help spread the word on the extraordinary potential of building back soils to their former stable, biodiverse, complex selves.
“Rachel’s Farm is informative and educational but, as a filmmaker, I also understand the value of an entertaining yarn.
“This film is one woman’s story as she tries to undo the damage she has done to her farm through ignorance, leading her to a journey of education leading to repair and regeneration, as well as a little bit of frustration and impatience.”
Once the film has finished its cinema release in late August it will be available for community, educational, and corporate screenings and engagement activities.
Rachel’s Farm will screen at Avoca Beach Theatre at 6.30pm on Thursday, July 27.
Source:
Regen Studios