Truck Farm

Forty-eight minutes may seem awfully long for a film about a truck farm. After all, how much can a filmmaker say–that is interesting–about a truck that has been converted to grow plants in the back of it? This skepticism is warranted but unnecessary, as filmmakers Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis are top of their game (they are also starting the Food Corps and have another terrific film in the festival called The City Dark). They show us how to make a truck farm–drill holes in the bed, plant stuff, park on the streets of New York City and let it grow – who knew? Then they drive their mobile garden around the city to foodies, like organic chef Dan Barber (Mountainfilm guest 2009), who buy their locally grown herbs. As goofy as the film is, it succeeds as a chance for the filmmakers to make a totally charming and authentic documentary about the vast potential of urban agriculture.
–DH