GRACE MOORE, associate producer of Kiss The Ground and an environmental activist, speaks with SHALINI SAKSENA how she got involved with the project, the challenges that come with making such films and the urgent need to start making a difference in our lives
How did you get associated with Kiss The Ground?
It is a bit of a long story. I was working on a previous project – Life After Carbon which was about how we can make cities more sustainable. That is when I heard about Josh Tickell who had gone to college in my hometown in Florida. I heard that he wanted advice on the film and did a bit of background research on him and his documentary film Pump. I wanted advice from him on our film, Life After Carbon. I called him and requested him to come back to his hometown and give a talk in the college that he went to. For the next nine months I was trying to learn as much as I could about the environment, about story telling and about production. A few weeks later, I joined the team and have been here since February this year.
What are the difficulties associated with making such films?
There are several. Take this film for example. It took the filmmakers, Josh and Rebecca Tickell, seven years to put it out. There were over a hundred scientists who they approached and talked and collaborated with to corroborate what the film is saying
Has the present pandemic made people sit up and take notice of the documentary?
In some ways it is. The studio that I work with, when the pandemic started, we went to a store and stocked up on seeds because we knew we would be with on our own and didn’t know what would happen. A lot of people realised that they needed to be in touch with food supply and have food security.
Do you think that the movie can be a catalyst to creating a balance between environment and man?
Definitely, they are absolutely a catalyst. One thing that I have seen with such films when I went to college of Environmental Studies is there is one thing missing in the environmental movement is communication. The only people involved here are the one who study it and there is a large gap between the people who study it and the rest of the world. What movies do is bridge this gap especially those like Kiss The Ground which bring regular people together and celebs and show a unified movement to make the world a better place.
How necessary is to facilitate a conversation about the environment?
It is extremely important to bring everyone on one platform. But it is very difficult to do this. What we try to do is tell people that they can be part of this movement from the comforts of their homes and day to day tasks.
Is the world prepared to make the change/transition?
I feel that people are ready to make changes in their lives. The present pandemic has opened the eyes of the people. Everyone is now going back home; they are not congregating. At least in the US, food supply has been disrupted. What we are seeing is a resurgence in the local food economy. This means communities growing their own food. What this film is about is empowering the local farmer to feed his family and the local community. I am not sure we are ready to make a huge change but the world is pushing us in that direction.
How bleak will the future be with no changes?
It would be very bleak. At the rate at which we are going, the film shows that in 50 years, we will not be able to harvest food from the soil and we will be completely reliable on pesticides and fertilisers. Hundreds of thousands of people are being forced out of their homes due to climate change. This is really the moment that we are take action now.
How important is it to teach the importance of environment and Nature at school level?
All changes happen at the grassroot. It is the people who make things happen. Everyone has the capacity to learn and change but it is the young people who are most likely to do it. It is important to teach children these regenerative ways of life. Taking care of the planet is the most important thing for us to do today. It is not the science of it but to teach them to love the planet; the connection we have with it.
Do you think that reading and watching things around us can change our relationship with the environment?
Yes. It did for me. I was pursuing a program in Psychology when I saw a documentary on the environment and it changed my life. I immediately felt a deep love for the earth. It changed how I perceived things and it was a film that helped me to be a better person for the earth.
One lesson that people should take away from the film?
Know where your food comes from, meet your farmer and talk with him and just to know that everyone can be a part of this movement. Even the smallest decision can make a difference.
What next?
We have a few projects that we are working on. We are currently working on short documentary series for TV on the pesticides being sprayed on our food in our hometown and how the town can shift to regenerative agriculture. It will be a model on how communities can come together to bring a change. We are making another film – Revolution Generation, it is about how millennials are coming to power and taking over and creating a more democratic equable system.