Byron Film Release tonight- SEEDS BLONG EVERYONE

[Darklight]

Morning all

If you're in the Byron area tonight this will be worth catching and supporting. Seed Savers are one of the best grass roots organisations I can imagine and their work is crucial to food security and community support worldwide. And Jude and Michel are lovely, lovely people

__________________________________________________________________

Film release

Everyone is warmly invited to the local launch of Seed Savers' 57 minute movie on Tuesday November 11th at Byron Community Centre at 7.15pm.

$10 entry with $8 concession. See more below.

Love, Jude Fanton

SEEDS BLONG EVERYONE! Film Launch

Jude and Michel Fanton, two of Byron's most passionate and creative souls have culminated years of food activism in a joyous new film. Filled with colour, music and wonderful local personalities, it is a rare insight into the village life of many cultures.

Film-makers and gardeners are warmly invited to the local launch of the 57 minute movie on Tuesday November 11th at Byron Community Centre at 7.15pm.

$10 entry with $8 concession. Donations could help spread more copies to more communities!

"Our Seeds; Blong Yumi" shows how traditional foods and biodiversity help shape local cultures and healthy soil and people. Primarily made for Pacific

audiences, the movie celebrates diverse farming cultures around the world.

Footage was gathered in lush locations in 11 countries: Spain, France, Italy, India, Sri Lanka, China, Vietnam, Taiwan, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands.

The premiere of the film was at the Pacific Arts Festival in American Samoa, and has been presented in Western Samoa and Solomon Islands. Michel and

Jude are just back from Vanuatu this year to screen the film and train community workers to take it to the villages for screening. They will be

present for questions and networking on Nov 11th night!

The film is a David and Goliath story where proven resilience and logic triumph over seemingly invincible corporate agribusiness propoganda. It

shows that there are the same problems and similar solutions everywhere. Farmers around the world are facing increasing pressure from agribusiness

corporations that push their low-diversity seed stock. Many of these varieties require unsustainable inputs such as pesticides and fertilisers.

Pacific islanders can fall into the trap of replacing resilient seed crop varieties with modern hybrids and the innumerable well adapted local varieties of root staples with imported starch such as white rice, biscuits and noodles. They may harvest diabetes, crop failures and soil loss.

The Fantons show the importance of a broad genetic base of diversity in food for reasons of disease resistance, cultural preservation, nutrition, taste and enormous ensuing community fun! The film introduces the varied people who save seeds, standing at the source of humanity's diverse food heritage. Peasants in advanced countries, such as Taiwan, Spain, France and Italy share the same sentiments as farmers in India, China and the Pacific.

Distribution

The final product of this project is 1 200 DVDs, 500 of which will be distributed for free to tribal schools, colleges, churches, hospitals and non-government agencies in the Pacific. The intention is for these agencies to show the film to their constituencies out in the villages. This helps community workers to

apply the lessons of the film to their current challenges, to take stock of their unique food plant assets and start their own local seed organisation or network.

Seed Savers Foundation is first and foremost an educational organisation. Seed Savers' mission has been to help traditional seed guardians hold

their farming traditions in high esteem. We have produced handbooks and manuals, run courses and trained interns to help gardeners and farmers in several

countries share and preserve their seeds and farming knowledge. Seed Savers has helped to establish local seed networks in several dozen countries, with

a hundred around Australia.

Film clips and three minute trailer can be found at youtube.com/seedsavers and our website:

www.seedsavers.net