People who are interested in agriculture were invited to watch a series of films called Depth of Field: Films about farming.
The films, created and presented by the National Farmers Union, explore more than 50 different Canadian farms and the difficulties they encounter all year round.
Josh Suppan is the owner of a farm.
He is also the president of the local chapter of the National Farmers Union. He mentioned that farmers worldwide are dealing with various issues, but they all share one common problem.
“Climate change is definitely a major issue. Farmers need to be resilient to cope with the constantly changing weather patterns, whether it’s a drought one year or excessive rains or extreme temperatures,” Suppan said.
Suppan also highlighted the fact that people are becoming increasingly disconnected from the food they consume, which is a topic addressed in the documentary series.
“We are now very distant from our food in society, which wasn’t the case 50 years ago or earlier when everyone was growing their own food. This is no longer the situation,” he added.
This sentiment was echoed by local farmer and union member Katherine Rothermel.
Her farm, Kitchen Table Seed House on Wolfe Island, is featured in the documentary series.
“The food system seems so distant from us and we are so disconnected from the farms and the industrial farming system. I hope this series makes it more personal for people,” she said.
That’s why the films are being shown in communities all across the country.
All the screenings on Sunday at the Screening Room were completely booked.
Rothermel expressed her hope that the series will motivate people to take better care of the land.
“I really hope that individuals can relate to the stories of specific farms and personalize it in a way that encourages better connections,” she said.
Although the films are being shown in Kingston only once, the series of short films is accessible on the National Farmers Union of Canada’s YouTube channel.
