Dirt! The Movie

Possessing both a cosmic perspective that reaches into the vastness of time and space, and the kind of warm, earnest energy that inspires small revolutions inside human hearts, Dirt! The Movie offers an important and timely look at the vital relationship between those of us on Earth and something that is easy to take for granted—the soil upon which we tread. Inspired by William Bryant Logan’s acclaimed book Dirt, the Ecstatic Skin of the Earth, directors Bill Benenson and Gene Rosow employ a colorful combination of animation, vignettes, and personal accounts from farmers, physicists, church leaders, children, wine critics, anthropologists, and activists to learn about dirt—where it comes from, how we regard (or disregard) it, how it sustains us, the way it has become endangered, and what we can do about it. Benenson and Rosow find answers everywhere: in tiny villages that dare to rise up to battle giant corporations to trendy organic farms; from prison horticultural programs to scientists who discover connections with soil that can offset the damage from global warming. The fresh and generous spirit of Dirt! The Movie is simple and energizing. You may walk into the theatre on asphalt, carpet, and cement, but you will likely walk out with a rekindled connection to the living, dark, rich soil that lies beneath you and a mind set on cultivating a new future.
CAST

Bill Benenson, Gene Rosow - 

Bill Benenson is an award-winning filmmaker with more than 30 years of producing and directing experience. His resume includes the documentaries The Marginal Way and Diamond Rivers, as well as the critically acclaimed narrative film Mister Johnson. He has served in the U.S. Peace Corps, was an initial investor in Seeds of Change, and is active in the National Resources Defense Council and the Rainforest Action Network.

Gene Rosow has directed more than 20 documentaries for theatrical and television release, including San Francisco Good Times, Routes of Exile: A Moroccan Jewish Odyssey, Doctora, Routes of Rhythm with Harry Belafonte, and Knights. His feature-film producing credits include the family film Zeus and Roxanne for MGM, along with Silent Tongue and Britney, Baby—One More Time, which both premiered at Sundance.

Screenings:

Mon. Jan 19 3:00 p.m. - DIRTT19TA Temple Theatre, Park City
Tue. Jan 20 noon - DIRTT20TD Temple Theatre, Park City
Wed. Jan 21 8:30 a.m. - DIRTT213M Holiday Village Cinema III, Park City
Fri. Jan 23 9:30 p.m. - DIRTT23TN Temple Theatre, Park City
Sat. Jan 24 4:30 p.m. - DIRTT24BA Broadway Centre Cinemas IV, SLC