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Symphony of the Soil

Symphony of the Soil

Purchase tickets for this event at Eventbrite.

Come at 6:30 PM for a book signing with Sandor Katz, as well as a concurrent fermented-food fair ($12, includes admission to the the film).

SandorKraut is an intimate portrait of Sandor Katz, America’s foremost fermentation re-vivalist. Many of our most ancient and beloved foods – bread and cheese, wines and beers, miso, yogurt, pickles, even coffee and chocolate – are the products of fermentation. Katz has explored the fermented delicacies of cultures from around the globe for over 20 years, working as an author, teacher and activist. In the film, he gradually reveals how his connection with the natural processes behind fermentation has transformed his understanding of life and death.

Symphony of the Soil is a documentary that explores the complexity and mystery of soil. Filmed on four continents and sharing the voices of some of the world’s most esteemed soil scientists, farmers and activists, the film portrays soil as a protagonist of our planetary story. Using a captivating mix of art and science, the film shows that soil is a complex living organism, the foundation of life on earth. Yet most people are soil-blind and “treat soil like dirt.”

In the process, it looks into how treating the soil right could help solve some of our most pressing environmental problems. Symphony of the Soil starts with an overview of soil science, which encompasses the birth of soil, the life cycle of soil, the physical components of soil, the soil orders, the microorganisms that cycle nutrients, soil and plants, and the interrelationship of the many members of the soil community, including humans. Soil is alive, and its health and survival are intricately connected to that of all life.

The use of soil as an agricultural medium is also a major line of inquiry. Various farming practices that replenish the soil are presented as well as conventional practices that misuse and deplete it. The film references the latest scientific research about the dangerous environmental and health effects of the toxic chemicals and nitrates so prevalent in industrial farming today. In the same vein, it brings up other topics as biofuels, genetic engineering and overuse of nitrogen, as well as the crucial role soil plays in sequestering carbon.

Symphony of the Soil

$12 ($11 seniors, students, or film only)

Mon October 19, 2015, 7:30 only, Muenzinger Auditorium

USA, 2012, in English, Color, 16:9 HD • official site

recommend

Tickets

10 films for $60 with punch card
$9 general admission. $7 w/UCB student ID, $7 for senior citizens
$1 discount to anyone with a bike helmet
Free on your birthday! CU Cinema Studies students get in free.

Parking

Pay lot 360 (now only $1/hour!), across from the buffalo statue and next to the Duane Physics tower, is closest to Muenzinger. Free parking can be found after 5pm at the meters along Colorado Ave east of Folsom stadium and along University Ave west of Macky.

RTD Bus

Park elsewhere and catch the HOP to campus

International Film Series

(Originally called The University Film Commission)
Established 1941 by James Sandoe.

First Person Cinema

(Originally called The Experimental Cinema Group)
Established 1955 by Carla Selby, Gladney Oakley, Bruce Conner and Stan Brakhage.

C.U. Film Program

(AKA The Rocky Mountain Film Center)
First offered degrees in filmmaking and critical studies in 1989 under the guidance of Virgil Grillo.

Celebrating Stan

Created by Suranjan Ganguly in 2003.

C.U. Department of Cinema Studies & Moving Image Arts

Established 2017 by Chair Ernesto Acevedo-Muñoz.

Thank you, sponsors!
Boulder International Film Festival
Department of Cinema Studies & Moving Image Arts

Looking for a gift for a friend?
Buy a Frequent Patron Punch Card for $60 at any IFS show. With the punch card you can see ten films (a value of $90).

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