Documentary celebrates the Canadian family farm

Monday, November 10, 2014

by JOE CALLAHAN

A new documentary film, The Family Farm, profiling a dozen Canadian family farmers from seven different provinces including Ontario will be featured on the Documentary Channel on Tuesday November 18 at 9 p.m.

The 70-minute documentary, the result of roughly three and a half years’ work by Canadian director Ari A. Cohen, 42, tells the stories of farmers from a number of farming sectors including dairy, beef, poultry and others. Honed from about 80 hours of footage, the film largely shot and edited by Cohen, represents an entry point into an ambitious project designed to raise Canadians curiosity about food.

 “I’m Moroccan. I grew up where a Friday night meal could consist of six courses,” says Cohen. “That’s what made me do the film, to question that.”

Following the broadcast of the film, a web site will be launched that will provide access to more material from the 80 hours of footage as well as ongoing information designed to answer Canadians’ questions about where and how food is produced in Canada including something he calls a “new game.”

“The web site is extending the conversation so that people can learn more about these farmers,” says Cohen.  “(The game) is made for someone who wants to dig deeper.”

Born in Morocco, Cohen now lives in Montreal, where he graduated from a graduate degree in Arts, Non-Profit Administration that accompanies his Political Science undergraduate degree from Western University. He developed his business, Rotating Planet, in 2005 and focuses on the production of independent documentary films. The Family Farm project has a budget of roughly $450,000.00 and received support from Bell New Media, Canada Media Fund, The Documentary Channel and Rogers Cable Fund.

For more information go to www.thefamilyfarmer.com. BF