The Garden Director: Scott Hamilton Kennedy, USA,
2008, 80 minutes
Friday May 29 | 9:00PM | Pacific Cinémathèque
Sunday May 32 | 12:00PM | Pacific Cinémathèque
Canadian Premiere
The fourteen-acre community garden, at 41st and Alameda in South
Central Los Angeles, is the largest of its kind in the United
States. Started as a form of healing after the devastating L.A.
riots in 1992, the South Central Farmers have since created a
miracle in one of the country’s most blighted neighbourhoods.
Growing their own food. Feeding their families. Creating a community.
But now, bulldozers are poised to level their fourteen-acre oasis.
The Garden follows the plight of the farmers, from the
tilled soil of this urban farm to the polished marble of City
Hall. Mostly immigrants from Latin America, from countries where
they feared for their lives if they spoke out, we watch them organize,
fight back, and demand answers.
Why was the land sold to a wealthy developer for millions less
than fair-market value? Why was the transaction done in a closed-door
session of the LA City Council? Why has it never been made public?
And the powers-that-be have the same response: “The garden is
wonderful, but there is nothing more we can do.”
If everyone told you nothing more could be done, would you give
up?
The Garden has the pulse of verité with the narrative
pull of fiction, telling the story of the USA’s largest urban
farm, backroom deals, land developers, green politics, money,
poverty, power, and racial discord. The film explores and exposes
the fault lines in American society and raises crucial and challenging
questions about liberty, equality, and justice for the poorest
and most vulnerable among us.
Academy Award Nominee, Best Documentary Feature
Winner, Sterling Award for US Feature, Silverdocs Documentary
Festival
Director’s Biography
Scott Hamilton Kennedy’s debut documentary, OT: our
town won awards at film festivals around the world. In its
theatrical release, OT garnered rave reviews and was
selected for several ‘best of’ lists. OT
was also honored by being ‘short listed’ for an Oscar
nomination and was nominated for Best Documentary at the Independent
Spirit Awards.
Scott began his career in music videos, making several number-one
videos including Jimmy Cliff’s remake of “I Can See
Clearly Now.” His most recent film, The Garden,
was nominated for an Oscar in 2009. Scott is developing his narrative
feature script Up River, an urban adventure movie set
on the L.A. River. He is also in post-production on a reality
series entitled Fame High.
