UPCOMING SCREENINGS LIST

Here is a list of confirmed screenings of SYMPHONY OF THE SOIL 
More are on their way, so check back or sign up for our newsletter to keep updated.

January 24-25, 2015: Berlin, GERMANY
GreenMe Film Festival

*February 7, 2015: Sacramento, CA
California Museum – Dig It Exhibit

February 22, 2015: Meadford, Ontario, Canada
Films For Thought: Transition Meadford

*March 5, 2015: Mill Valley, CA
Outdoor Arts Club

March 12, 2015: Seattle, WA
Seattle Garden Club

March 2015: Grayslake, IL
Liberty Prarie Foundation

March 13, 2015: Maui, HI
*The Merwin Conservancy

April 23, 2015: Keene, NY
Harris Center for Conservation Education

* Director Deborah Koons Garcia will be present

Symphony of the Soil at Conferences

Symphony of the Soil will be screening at many important conferences in the next couple of months:

Justice Begins With Seeds | Presented by Biosafety Alliance
August 1-3, 2013 in Seattle, WA
The GMO Awareness Week Film Series screens Symphony of the Soil
Thursday August 1 at 8pm PST
at Campbell Hall in the University Presbyterian Church (4540 15th Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98105)
To register: http://2013jbsseattle.eventbrite.com/
Facebook Invite

American Community Gardening Association Conference
August 8–11, 2013 in Seattle, WA
Saturday, August 10 at 8PM PST
at the University of Washington, Gould Hall – Room 322 (on the corner of NE 40th St. between  University Way N.E. and 15th Ave. N.E. in the University District.)
For more information: http://www.communitygarden.org/conference/

American Renewable Energy Day Conference
August 15-18, 2013 in Aspen, CO
Friday August 16 at 12noon MST
Pitkin County Library, 120 N Mill St, Aspen, CO
For more information: http://www.areday.net/

The National Heirloom Seed Exposition
September 10-12, 2013 in Santa Rosa, CA
Wednesday September 11, at 4pm PST
at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds – Showcase Cafe
Producer/Director Deborah Koons Garcia will be screening select clips of Symphony of the Soil and holding a discussion with organic farmer Penny Livingston Stark.
— Look for the Lily Films booth to purchase Lily Films films. —

The National Bioneers Conference | Presented by Bioneers
October 18-20, 2013 in San Rafael, CA
Symphony of the Soil will screen as part of the Film Showings
Friday, October 18 at 7pm PST
Location TBA
For more information: http://conference.bioneers.org/am/

14th Annual Wise Traditions Conference | Presented by Weston A. Price Foundation
November 7-11, 2013 in Atlanta, GA
Symphony of the Soil will screen
Friday November 8, 2013
Location TBA
Dr. Joseph Heckman will lead a discussion after the film.
For more information: http://conferences.westonaprice.org/main-conference/2013-schedule/

CORGC

Deborah Koons Garcia, producer/director of Symphony of the Soil and Ryan Storm, blogger at the Canadian Organic Growers Conference

Other conferences Symphony of the Soil has screened this year include:

Ecofarm Conference, Pacifica, CA January 2013
Deborah Koons Garcia in attendance

Canadian Organics Growers Conference, Toronto, ON, February 2013
Deborah Koons Garcia in attendance

Soil and Nutrition Conference, Northampton, MA, February 2013

MOSES Organic Farming Conference, Spring Valley, WI, February 2013

The Maker Faire, San Mateo, CA, May 2013
Deborah Koons Garcia in attendance

Mark Your Calendars for New York City Premiere of Symphony of the Soil at the IFC Center


Thursday July 11, 2013 at the IFC Center


BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW!

Symphony of the Soil will be premiering in New York City at the IFC Center on Thursday July 11th at 6:30pm.
LIMITED SEATING! Buy tickets now, in advance, to make a successful New York City premiere.
Q and A with Deborah Koons Garcia, Producer/Director; Dr. Ignacio Chapela, Microbial Ecologist UC Berkeley; Dr. Michael Hansen, Senior Scientist Consumer’s Union.

IFCsotsartwork1

Tickets are available online through the IFC Center website: http://www.ifccenter.com/films/symphony-of-the-soil/

Happy Earth Day

Every time Earth Day rolls around, we are forced to reflect on what actions each of us make in our daily lives that work towards the protection of our environment.  Some celebrate the natural beauty around them, some wonder ‘we love our earth but how can we tell her so?’ and for others it’s just another day.

Here are some steps that you can take in your every day to help the environment:

  • Compost. You don’t have to see Symphony of the Soil to know that composting is important (though, it does help). Composting reduces waste while helping create healthy soil that is able to produce good food.
  • Reuse. It’s important to be aware of the waste you create. Little things make a big difference. Having a coffee/tea thermos that gets filled at coffee shops can reduce that waste. Having a water bottle that you refill does the same. Going out to eat later and know that you’re going to have leftovers – bring a small Tupperware with you. Saving jars from pickles or salsa and using them to hold household items like nails or screws.
  • Eat and shop organic. Most people complain that eating organic is too expensive. While this may be true, if you consider the health benefits that organic foods provide, you may end up spending more money on doctor’s visits than you would buying organic foods. It’s good for you.
  • Shop local. Shopping local not only helps the local economy but it also reduces the amount of fossil fuels that are used to get your goods to you. Most towns and cities have farmers’ markets available. Buying straight from the farmer helps connect you with your food and can be cheaper than buying through a big super market.

We at Lily Films are also taking this wonderful day to share with you our latest version of the Symphony of the Soil movie poster.

Symphony of the Soil poster

Artwork by Will Kim. Design by Sarah E. Gonzalez. Copyright Lily Films 2013.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AND we are happy to release the first Symphony of the Soil trailer

 

Happy Earth Day. Let us know how you are spending it.

on Twitter… @soilsymphony

on Facebook… https://www.facebook.com/SymphonyoftheSoil

Cinema Verde Film Festival

Cinema Verde Environmental Film & Arts Festival’s fourth annual Environmental Film and Arts Festival Feb. 9-14, 2013 is at Jolie in downtown Gainesville. Cinema Verde’s overall mission is to raise awareness of environmental issues through the arts and to bring people together to implement sustainable solutions. The festival provides environmental education to the public through films, arts, workshops, events, tours and other activities. Cinema Verde works with local governments, sustainable businesses, environmental organizations and citizens.


On February 12th, Symphony of the Soil screened to festival goers. People walked out of the theater knowing more about soil than they knew they wanted to know. It was so well received that today it was released that Symphony of the Soil won the Cinema Verde Film Festival’s Food Award.

 

GAINING GROUND A documentary digs up dirt on soil

Article from PureWOW written by Cristina Tudino

Soil is not particularly gripping on the surface–it’s, well, a dirty shade of brown and crawling with insects. If you asked us to watch a full-length film about it, we’d politely decline.

That is until we heard about Symphony of the Soil, a new documentary by Deborah Koons Garcia. Convinced that most people are what she calls “soil blind,” meaning unaware and unappreciative of its value, Garcia devoted the film to digging up the latest science on and impact of dirt.

The environmentalist and filmmaker based in Mill Valley (and yes, Jerry’s widow) filmed on four continents–and, of course, right here in Northern California. Interviewing ecologists, activists and farmers, she uncovered countless reasons we should care more about what’s underfoot.

For starters, there isn’t an unlimited supply of what is literally the foundation for life on earth. Soil quality affects the healthfulness and flavor of our food (and more important, wine!). And when treated with synthetic fertilizers, soil can cause birth defects and developmental disorders in children.

So what can we do? Garcia advocates composting, chemical-free gardening, eating locally grown food and staying informed about relevant policy through organizations such as the Organic Consumers Association.

One thing’s for sure: You’ll never look at dirt the same way again.

Sunset Magazine: The Green Screen

Sunset Magazine’s February 2013 issue featured many captivating pieces that everyone in the Western United States should read, including a modest spotlight on Deborah Koons Garcia, director of Symphony of the Soil.

The Green Screen

“[Symphony of the Soil is] A must-see for sustainable agriculture skeptics.” – Sunset Magazine

No Vampires. No Super heros. See full page here: SunsetMag_SOS_Article001

 

Sunset Magazine

Get your copy today online or at your nearest print publication store.

2013 Wild and Scenic Film Festival

Filmmaker Deborah Koons Garcia attended the Wild & Scenic Film Festival the weekend of January 11th and won the John de Graaf Environmental Filmmaking Award for her body of films on agriculture, genetically modified food and sustainability.

Wild and Scenic Film Festival Official SelectionDeborah’s newest feature-length documentary, Symphony of the Soil, screened twice at the festival, once immediately after the awards ceremony to a packed house and received a standing ovation.

The film looks at the importance of soil to life on this planet and tells the stories of scientists and farmers developing alternatives to chemical agriculture to replenish instead of kill the soil used for planting.

It was one of the highlights of Wild & Scenic’s 11th annual film festival, which featured over 100 documentary films on environmental themes screening at six different theaters over four days along the main strip in the small mountainous town of Nevada City.

Each day, crowds of people passed through sidewalks of Broad Street, and small lines formed to get into packed houses showing films about topics like delta and river conservation, environmental activism, water use, climate change and urban sustainability.

Considered one of the nation’s premiere environmental and adventure film festival’s, Wild & Scenic combines stellar filmmaking, beautiful cinematography and first-rate storytelling to inform, inspire and ignite solutions and possibilities to restore the earth and human communities while creating a positive future for the next generation.

More information on Wild & Scenic is available here. For more information on Syphmony of the Soil, click here.