Environmental Film Urban Roots Draws Attention to Food Desert in Detroit
By: Gabrielle Sierra Apr. 20, 2011
From the creator of The 11th Hour with Leonardo DiCaprio comes Urban Roots, the next documentary from Tree Media. Produced by Leila Conners (The 11th Hour) and Mathew Schmid and directed by Mark MacInnis, the film follows the urban farming phenomenon in Detroit, Michigan. Urban Roots is being showcased at Whole Food's "Do Something Reel" Film Festival. The 70-city traveling film festival, celebrating Earth Month, kicked off April 1st in Annapolis, Maryland.
As recently highlighted on CNN, when the automotive industry left Detroit, the city's population plummeted from over 2,000,000 to around 713,000 in 2010. Other businesses were forced to shut their doors, including grocery stores, leaving a large portion of the city in a "food desert." Urban Roots is an inspiring and informative story about the rise of urban farming and community agricultural projects that provide locally-grown, organic food to residents that live in the food desert.
The documentary showcases the rise of the human spirit as dedicated Detroiters work tirelessly to fulfill their vision of self-reliance built on a foundation of healthy, sustainably-farmed food. "The farms have the potential to transform not just a city after its collapse, but also a country after the end of its industrial age," says Conners, "The film was created to encourage people of all ages and races that, just like the people in Detroit, you too can take initiative in your own communities in order to grow a healthier planet and create a sustainable economy."
Artist Shepard Fairey, known for his "Hope" poster of Barack Obama after the presidential campaign in 2008, contributes his unique vision in artwork that depicts the inspirational tale of Urban Roots. The film's composer, Detroit-born Frank Fitzpatrick, captures the resilient spirit of Detroit. The critically acclaimed music producer Fitzpatrick has worked with artists such as Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald, and Miles Davis.
Praise for Urban Roots:
"I really loved the film. Very inspiring and universal in addressing the human need to cultivate literally and metaphorically." - Shepard Fairey "I was really blown away by this film..." - Thom Hartmann, the nation's #1 progressive radio talk show host.
About Leila Conners, filmmaker:
Urban Roots is Leila Conners' newest documentary produced under her company, Tree Media Group. With a background in international politics, Conners set out to build a production company that creates media to support and sustain civil society by telling inspiring stories. As both the founder and president of Tree Media Group, Conners was also behind other successful films raising social and environmental awareness such as The 11th Hour, which she wrote, directed and produced with Leonardo DiCaprio.
About Mathew Schmid, filmmaker:
Mathew Schmid is the producer and executive producer of Urban Roots, and the Creative Director and CEO of Tree Media. As a former Waldorf educator and Art Director, Mathew has combined his creative talent and business drive to grow Tree Media. Among other projects he is currently developing Tree Media's Treemagination arm an online educational center that cultivates imagination, knowledge, and elevates emotional and social engagement in children, parents and teachers through media. Mathew most recently produced and directed Giving Birth and is creating Into Eden with Leila Conners.
About Mark Maclnnis, filmmaker:
Mark MacInnis was born in Detroit and began working on independent films in urban Detroit's melting pot of local musicians, automotive designers, and fashion photographers. He has since worked on film and commercial projects in Los Angeles, Italy, India, and France. While working out of Detroit's famed Bankle Building on another documentary, MacInnis was inspired by the personal stories of the growing local urban farming movement to begin the project that became Urban Roots.
About "Whole Foods Market Do Something Reel" National Film Festival:
"Whole Foods Market Do Something Reel" Film Festival was created to raise awareness for environmental and food issues, as well as support filmmakers who are creating films that inspire people to question the impact our choices have on our health, body and environment. The festival is a collection of six provocative, character-driven films focused on passionate people making a world of difference. Each film provides a moving, eye-opening look at how the choices we make can have a huge impact on our bodies, our economy, and our environment. Whole Foods hopes to initiate change by sparking dialogue around the six featured films, which demonstrate that small changes can make a big difference.
For exact screening locations and dates, please visit: http://www.DoSomethingReel.com
About Tree Media
Tree Media Group is a production company founded 15 years ago with a mission to use media to support and sustain civil society while promoting peace through understanding. Tree Media creates "media that matters" - entertaining, profitable media that also has deeper meaning. Tree Media strives for a "triple bottom line" - projects that produce social benefit, environmental benefit as well as the benefit of profit. For more information on Tree Media, please visit http://www.treemedia.com.
For more information about Urban Roots, please visit: http://www.urbanrootsaction.com.
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