‘Indigenize the Plate’
A feature documentary
The Story
Exploring the connection between food sustainability and cultural sustainability for Indigenous communities, a Diné woman (Natalie Benally) travels from New Mexico to the Andes in Peru to connect with a Quechua community who are developing their own solutions to address the same challenges seen in their region.
The Production
The project began in 2019 as a short film about bio-dynamic farming and its connections to traditional land stewardship. As the story began to develop a larger narrative began to unfold that compelled the filmmakers to showcase parallels between Indigenous foodways from the New Mexico to Perú.
Where to Watch
The film is currently broadcast on public televsion across the United States and streaming on PBS Passport. Click here for your local listings.
We will also be kicking off a road-show tour starting in 2024 across Turtle Island that will focus on raising up local food efforts, support Indigenous community projects, and expand the conversation that the film sparks.
The Road-Show Tour
When audiences connect with the powerful message of a documentary, they leave the theater feeling energized and ready to take action. But when there is no clear next step, that energy fizzles away. We want put on a road-show tour that energizes people and gives them a next step.
How the tour works
-
One-off screenings are usually paired with a Q&A from the filmmaker(s). Instead of us on stage let’s make this an opportunity for a group in the local community to talk about what they are doing and how the members of the audience can get involved.
-
At each tour stop, a community partner is identified i.e. an urban garden, mutual aid organization, or any group that is closing the food access gap; or ending food deserts; or increasing investment in local food etc. During the post show panel, they are the stars.
-
A university, a civic center, indie theater, or other venue that will host the event.
-
Individuals and/or organizations that support the screenings to build capacity and support costs.
-
With our partners we will create an impact report to track the goals that each community partner has set i.e. increasing email sign ups, CSA subscriptions, volunteer sign ups, etc.
Proven track record
We’ve used this model for projects in the past to great success. As the commercial era of movie screenings decline, there is a great interest in one-off screenings that feel unique and relevant to a given local community. It’s something to show up for that is one-of-a-kind. See below for venues we’ve partnered with in the past.
Join the project
Whether you’d like to participate in the road-show tour, help the film reach international audiences, or you would like to offer direct support to the project - we’d love to hear from you.
