2009 AFI Dallas Film Festival - The Garden

(USA, 2008, 80 mins)
In English, Spanish with English subtitles
HDCam
Directed By: Scott Hamilton Kennedy

At the intersection of 41st Street and Alameda Avenue in the heart of South Central Los Angeles, a lush 14-acre community garden rose from the ashes of the 1992 LA riots. The South Central Farm, as it was called, was a resounding success, enabling the farmers to rely on homegrown produce instead of food stamps. It also created a place of beauty where before there had only been signs of abject poverty, violence, and dependence.

The garden was a source of pride and sustenance for more than a decade, but in December 2003, bulldozers were poised to level the urban oasis to make room for…warehouses. Clearly, this fairytale was not destined for a happy ending.

Scott Hamilton Kennedy captures this extraordinary story from the moment the farmers receive notices of eviction, through their two-and-a-half year battle in the courts, to the final verdict and shocking aftermath.

Information from the festival's website