Following the release of Six Inches of Soil’s eagerly anticipated film trailer, producer Claire Mackenzie and director Colin Ramsay are today announcing the film’s first global screening at COP28 in Dubai on Saturday 9th December 2023 and first UK screening at the 15th annual Oxford Real Farming Conference (ORFC 2024) on Thursday 4th January 2024.
The film will be screened at COP28 as a main feature in the #ActionOnFood hub in the Blue Zone, a UNFCCC managed site open to accredited party and observer delegates.
The #ActionOnFood hub is a collaboration between the Food Systems Pavilion, Food4Climate Pavilion, and Future Economy Forum Pavilion. It seeks to elevate the voices of food producers in the international climate dialogues.
ORFC is an event that attracts farmers, growers, activists, policymakers and researchers from around the world who are interested in transforming our food system. The film will be screened to delegates at 8pm on the first day, 4th January 2024, in the Cheng Building’s Digital Hub, as part of a panel session chaired by Rooted author and farmer Sarah Langford, with a closing message from lifelong peace activist Satish Kumar, who stars in the film.
“COP28 provides a huge opportunity for us to screen the film to a wider global audience and to disseminate the important message that it portrays, which is that we can produce food in harmony with nature through regenerative farming within an agroecological system,” says Claire Mackenzie, producer. “The film provides a voice for British farmers, food producers and campaigners and we hope to see food and agriculture higher on the agenda than previous years. We will not be attending COP28 in person but we’re very grateful to Lucy Wallace, Chief of Staff, EIT Food and lead coordinators/conveners for the Food Systems Pavilion in the Blue Zone, who has facilitated this screening alongside Antony Yousefian, of The First Thirty, who is one of our film partners and an Official Nominator to the Earth Shot Prize 2024.”
Dr Lucy Wallace, Chief of Staff at EIT Food and Head of the Secretariat for the Food Systems Pavilion said, “Being able to screen Six Inches of Soil at COP28 is incredibly valuable. It is important for us to be able to give real context to the international discussions about climate change, highlighting the importance of soil and making the case for a just transition to regenerative food production.
“We need to transform our food system for people and planet. This is vital if we are to reach our climate goals and limit global warming to 1.5 deg C, but also ensure food security for our growing global population.”
Speaking about the ORFC UK screening, Colin Ramsay, director said, “The film’s aims are aligned with ORFC’s strategy of “bringing the real food and farming movement together” and we’re delighted to be having our first UK screening at the conference. The event has a strong following and has grown significantly over the years as more people understand the vital importance of soil. This movement is about finding ways to bring our soils and our landscapes back to life, in harmony with nature, for our communities, our health and our planet.”
Francesca Price, Events Director, ORFC added, “The ORFC is so excited to be hosting the first UK screening of the eagerly awaited documentary, Six Inches of Soil. This is a film we’ve all been waiting for which tells the story of the hard work and vision of the UK agroecological movement and features so many of the faces we’ve seen at the ORFC over the last 15 years. I hope it will inspire many more to join us in working towards a fairer food and farming system, both here in the UK and around the world.”
Six Inches of Soil follows the highs and lows of three new farmers on the first year of their regenerative journey. This includes Anna Jackson, a Lincolnshire 11th generation arable and sheep farmer, and her father Andrew; Adrienne Gordon, a Cambridgeshire small-scale vegetable farmer; and Ben Thomas, who rears pasture-fed beef livestock in Cornwall.
A roadshow of screenings across the UK will follow the COP28 and ORFC screenings. Details are available on the Six Inches of Soil website.
