Food, Earth, Happiness [Official – Short Film on Natural Farming]

A majestic journey through Japan, Korea, and the United States that turns our perceptions of food (and life) upside down in a simple and poetic way. Solutions for our most pressing social and ecological issues come from unexpected places in a bite-sized film that New York Times bestselling author Alicia Bay Laurel calls “beautiful … both art and documentary.”

Inspired by the work and philosophy of Masanobu Fukuoka, artist Patrick M. Lydon (USA) and editor Suhee Kang (South Korea) spend four years meeting and studying with multiple generations of modern day natural farmers. The result is a film that weaves breathtaking landscapes and an eclectic original soundtrack together with stories and insights from an inspiring cast of natural farmers, chefs, and teachers. The film gives modern-day relevance to age-old ideas about more sustainable, regenerative, and harmonious ways of living with the earth.

Current-day leaders in the natural farming movement featured in the film include Yoshikazu Kawaguchi (Japan), Seonghyun Choi (Korea), Larry Korn (United States), and a dozen others. Their stories illuminate a brilliant-yet-maddeningly-simple path to sustainability and well being, one popularized by the late Masanobu Fukuoka, author of the seminal environmental text “One Straw Revolution.”

Far-reaching in its application, “Food, Earth, Happiness” offers philosophical seeds to grow solutions for social and environmental justice.

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Note: Officially released on January 1, 2019, this film is an abbreviated version of the acclaimed environmental documentary Final Straw: Food, Earth, Happiness (74 min / 2015). It has been edited by the directors for public and classroom use.
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CREDITS

– directed, filmed, and produced by –
Patrick M. Lydon and Suhee Kang

– produced by –
SocieCity Films
City as Nature

– associate producer –
Kaori Tsuji

– production assistant & animation –
Heeyoung Park

– characters –
Yoshikazu Kawaguchi
Larry Korn
Kristyn Leach
Seong Hyun Choi
Etsko Kagamiyama
Ryosok Hong
Maki Sobajima
Kenji Murakami
Yoshiki Yamamoto
Osamu Kita
Kazuaki Okitsu
Dennis Lee

– musicians –
Bomnoonbyul
WindSync: Anni Hochhalter, horn; Garrett Hudson, flute; Tracy Jacobson, bassoon; Jack Marquardt, clarinet; Erin Tsai, oboe
Ipppen: Youji Kohno and Ben Nakamura
Joyful Island

– interview coordination and interpretation –

Eri and Kazu Domae
Ikumasa Hayashi
Eri Mizushima
Isao Suizu
Naho Takeuchi
Hyunwoo Kim

– translation –

Masumi Abe
Sonny Kim
Malga Kim
Natsuki Yamada-Kitade
Kyoko Koda
Hyunwoo Kim
Daisuke Matsumoto
Akiko Misasa
Eri Mizushima-Peterson
Uni Park
Shumei
Kaori Tsuji

– explore more –

“Food, Earth, Happiness” was filmed entirely on location in Japan, South Korea, and the United States between 2011 – 2015 by directors Patrick M. Lydon and Suhee Kang.

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