Dirt! The Movie (2009)

A look at man's relationship with Dirt. Dirt and humans couldn't be closer. We started our journey together as stardust, swirled by cosmic forces into our galaxy, solar system, and planet. ... See full summary »

Directors:

Bill Benenson, Gene Rosow,

Stars:

Bill Logan, Paul Stamets, Gary Vaynerchuk

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bill Logan	...	Urban Arborist / Author - 'Dirt'
Paul Stamets	...	Mycologist
Gary Vaynerchuk	...	Founder - The Wine Library / Host of Wine Library.tv
Vandana Shiva	...	Physicist / Environmental Activist
Miguel Altieri	...	Professor Ph.D. Entomology - University of Florida / UC Berkeley
Wangari Maathai	...	Nobel Laureate / Founder - Green Belt Movement
Carlo Petrini	...	Founder - the Slow Food Movement
Pierre Rabhi	...	Author / Farmer / Environmentalist
Andy Lipkis	...	Founder - Tree People / Citizen Forester
Fritjof Capra	...	Theoretical Physicist / Director - Center for Ecoliteracy, Berkeley
Jeanette Armstrong	...	Land Speaker - Okanagan Author & Artist
Marisha Farnsworth	...	Natural Builder
Kevin Rowell	...	Natural Builder
James Suntum	...	The Parochial Vicar - Santuario de Chimayo
Casimiro Roca	...	The Associate Pastor - Santuario de Chimayo (as Fr. Casimiro Roca)

Storyline

A look at man's relationship with Dirt. Dirt and humans couldn't be closer. We started our journey together as stardust, swirled by cosmic forces into our galaxy, solar system, and planet. We are made of the same stuff. Four billion years of evolution created dirt as the living source of all life on Earth including humans. Dirt has given us food, shelter, fuel, medicine, ceramics, flowers, cosmetics and color --everything needed for our survival. For most of the last ten thousand years we humans understood our intimate bond with dirt and the rest of nature. We took care of the soils that took care of us. But, over time, we lost that connection. Our species became greedy and careless. We still depend on dirt, but now we abuse and ignore it. We are destroying our last natural resource with our agriculture, our mining, and our paving over the planet for cities. We turned dirt into something "dirty." In doing so, we transform the skin of the earth into a hellish and dangerous landscape ...

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Taglines:

A story with heart and soil.

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Genres:

Documentary

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 August 2009 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Argentina

Company Credits

Production Co:

Common Ground Media

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Female Inmates: God made dirt, and dirt don't hurt. Put it in your mouth and let it work. Dirt!

User Reviews

Good points, but linked poorly

Dirt! did a good job of touching on important issues facing soil today

• monoculture, artificial fertilizer, soil erosion, desertification,

slash and burn, etc - as well as some solutions for better soil care and conservation - compost, polyculture. What it did a poor job of was presenting how all the issues are interrelated through physical and biological processes (e.g. nitrogen cycle, life and death). The formation and roles of soil were sadly under-explained. The viewer is left with a scattershot impression of trouble but the big picture is woefully incomplete.

My sense is that the documentarian wanted to emphasize the spiritual and emotional rather than the scientific or even economic aspects. This bias makes it a good film for the uninitiated - those who need to be impressed with the value of the 'skin of the Earth' - but those who keep abreast of ecological disasters-in-the-making would probably prefer a film with a more compelling, cohesive, substantive narrative.

Too bad, because soil is an extremely important resource, and everyone should know its value and the consequences of mismanagement. Dirt! delivers the right message, but if only it would deliver it more persuasively...