As wonderfully stated in the January 2020 edition of the Middleburg Life, “Roll up your sleeves and prepare to get dirty, albeit metaphorically” – and movie goers did just that! On February 21st, the Land Trust of Virginia (LTV) and Goose Creek Association (GCA) co-sponsored a free community screening of the documentary film The Biggest Little Farm at the Hill School’s Sheila C. Johnson Auditorium. Over 200 guests attended the screening that chronicles the eight – year quest of John and Molly Chester as they trade city living for 200 acres of barren farmland and a dream to harvest in harmony with nature. This deeply personal documentary drew laughs, tears and applause from the audience. Guests were treated to beautiful cinematography, wonderful animals, with a message both sobering and inspiring.
Attendee J. Marvin Watts, GCA Board member and passionate preservationist commented, “Elevated by ravishing photography, wit, and honesty, The Biggest Little Farm is an unflinching, intimate dramatization of life and death and rebirth in our intricate web of earth and flora and animals wild and domestic, and people (also, wild and domestic) with direct implications for the health of us all on this imperiled planet. I particularly liked the emphasis on harmony arising out of calamity, the recognition all creatures play a part, even pests (ducks love snails), if we can figure it out. And all love, never quite safe, if we can find it–like the scruffy chicken “boyfriend” to the great fertile sow–is essential to our enduring security. With tears and laughter, we have here the full-blown mess and triumph of life. LTV and GCA could not have chosen a more uplifting film in support of our land-based community and its preservation.”
Sally Price, Executive Director of LTV added, “Like others, The Biggest Little Farm caused me to reflect on the more than 200 properties in conservation easement with LTV. We are aware of the struggles our landowners face as they work to be better stewards of their land, with the shared goal of doing what they can towards a healthier planet. I am personally grateful for their efforts.”
To purchase or rent The Biggest Little Farm visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHYWEttABVU
