MIRASOL, Looking at the Sun
Film Session(s)
Venue(s)
36 minutes, United States, 2023
Water is a finite resource — and an essential one. For farmers, it’s everything. In this poignant new film, award-winning director Ben Knight explores a national issue around water through an intimate portrait of a small community in Pueblo, Colorado, that’s fighting to protect their water, land, and livelihood. Mirasol, Looking at the Sun, follows a multi-generational Italian and Hispanic immigrant farming community, from the 92-year-old farmer who has worked the land for generations to the young people who are ready and willing to take the reins. Through their voices, the film offers a story of a deep connection to place, the land, and the famed Pueblo Chile. Right now, their way of life is threatened by rapid development and population growth.
There’s an assumption that our food will always be there. It will, but only if we fight to protect it. In this film we hear from the people who grow our food about what’s at stake, and what it would mean to lose it. “This land should be like our only child,” says one farmer. “We should be protecting it with everything we have.” Mirasol is a quiet, but powerful rallying cry that asks us all a question: If you had the chance to do something about it, would you? The water leases to the farmers will expire, and without action, the farms will be lost forever. We have an opportunity to protect this community, and stand up for all of the hardworking families and thriving fields on the fringes of cities across the country that are so often overlooked, or taken for granted. This film illuminates the intrinsic connection and universal needs of food, family, love, and the land. As a community, and as a nation, we have important choices to make.
Director(s): Ben Knight
Producer(s): Kristie Nackord