"Let's Get Dirty" Short Film Festival



Join the TCFI at Shelter on April 7th for 4 wonderfully inspiring short films, local food and drink specials, and great raffle prizes. Funds raised will go towards the creation of our first community garden up at the Wickaninnish Community School. Special thanks to Shelter for graciously hosting this event!

The following 4 short films will be featured:

1) Homegrown Revolution

"In the midst of a densely urban setting in downtown Pasadena, radical change is taking root. For over twenty years, the Dervaes family have transformed their home into an urban homestead. They harvest nearly 3 tons of organic food from their 1/10 acre garden while incorporating many back-to-basics practices, as well as solar energy and biodiesel."



2) Looking at the UBC Farm

"This film looks at the teaching, learning, urban agriculture and community development that happens in the 24 hectare space called UBC Farm / Centre for Sustainable Food Systems, which is under threat of development."



3)Indigenous Plant Diva

"In the language of the Squamish Nation, Cease Wyss was given the name 'T'Uy'Tanat', meaning 'Woman who travels by canoe to gather medicines for all people.'
In director Kamala Todd's lyrical portrait, Wyss reveals the remarkable healing powers of plants growing among the sprawling urban streets of downtown Vancouver.
Whether it's the secret curl of a fiddlehead, the gentleness of comfrey, or the blood red streaks of frog leaf, plants carry with them millennia of wisdom, communicated through colour, texture and form. Cease Wyss has been listening to this unspoken language, and is now passing this ancient and intimate sense of connection to her own daughter, Senaqwila."



4) A well-Watered Garden

"The film at the centre of this film is part of a faith community called Jacob's well in Vancouver, Canada's downtown east side. This neighbourhood has complex difficulties including extreme poverty (the poorest postal code in Canada), drug addiction (more than five thousand needle users), widespread disease (highest HIV & AIDS infection in the western world), and prevalent mental illness (estimated more then 50% of area resident).The Jacob's Well community has a unique, relational approach to sharing life with residents of the neighbourhood through visiting people, gardening, gathering around the table, worshiping, praying and serving."

Europe loses battle on GM foods



This is very bad news for North America. Europe has traditionally raised the bar higher than Canada and the USA but when the European Parliament President says the battle cannot be won so they must give in....that's not good. In fact it is terrible--terribly weak! Here is the link to the article: News link