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February 2006
Al Gore says it's "Unbelievably special... told with insight and humor" and Alice Waters "A charming, wonderful and important movie". I say it's freaking great and if you only see one documentary this year, this is the one…

The Real Dirt on Farmer John is a personal documentary about John Peterson, a farmer, artist, and revolutionary innovative thinker cast in rural Illinois. Filmmaker Taggart Siegel has documented John's struggle to redefine his family farm for over twenty years, witnessing the colorful drama of John's life. Photographs and home movies spanning 70 years are placed side by side with dynamic recent footage.

With the death of his father during the late 60s, John turns his traditional family farm into an experiment of art and agriculture, making it a haven for hippies, radicals and artists. The Real Dirt on Farmer John charts the end of this idealistic era as the farm debt crisis of the 80s brings about the tragic collapse of the farm.

As the intricate weave of rural America unravels, vicious local rumors turn John into a scapegoat, condemning him as a Satan-worshipping drug-dealer.

Threatened with murder, his home burned to the ground, John forsakes his farm and wanders the ancient lands of Central America. Mysteriously, his quest leads him back to his hostile homeland. Defying all odds, he gradually transforms his land into a revolutionary farming community.

At the film's close, the Peterson family farm is one of the largest Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms in the United States. Out of the ruins of single-crop agriculture, John creates Angelic Organics, an extended farm village where people and art can thrive alongside agriculture.

For release information visit www.TheRealDirt.net