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Hemp and the Rule of Law 54:45:00
1. How did you come up with the idea for the film?
With the decline of tobacco as a cash crop for farmers in the southeast, I became interested in the role that alternate crops could play. When a group of tobacco farmers in Kentucky sued the federal government for the right to grow hemp, I knew that I had the story that I was looking for.
2. How long did the production process take?
The film was eight years in production.
3. What challenges did you experience in creation of the film?
Money!! This is always a challenge for independent filmmakers but raising money for this film was especially difficult. Because law enforcement has been repeating the false mantra that “hemp is marijuana” for sixty years, funders were very reluctant to support the film. As a result, hiring appropriate personnel was impossible.
4. What is your favorite memory from creating the film?
The first time that I set foot in a hemp field. It was in Ontario, Canada in 1998 where we shot the first commercial hemp harvest in North America in forty years.
5. When someone has finished watching the film, what do you hope they take away from the experience?
There has been an enormous amount of misinformation about this crop and so the film is meant to dispel myths and to inform. I wanted to educate the viewer about a forgotten part of American history, about the many uses of the plant, and to generate informed discussion about the political landscape that is impeding it's reintroduction into U.S. agriculture.
6. What type of reaction has your film received from viewers?
Without exception, viewers of all ages and backgrounds come away from the film with a clear understanding that hemp is not marijuana, and are outraged that U.S. law enforcement, through a systematic campaign of misinformation, has held American farmers hostage.
7. What advice would you give aspiring young filmmakers?
I have been teaching video production at Appalachian State University for 24 years, so advice is something that I give all the time. Very importantly, they should realize that there is no direct path from here to there. You need to navigate the waters as you go. If you have the passion and perseverance, it will happen.
You need to put yourself around equipment and other people who are producing. It doesn't matter whether it is in a newsroom, production house, cable outlet, undergraduate or graduate program, etc. Do everything you can—even if it is for free—and find out what you are good at and what you enjoy. Not everyone can direct and produce so I like to encourage students to explore the many other possibilities for crew and staff positions that are available.
8. Please tell me about the next film you plan to work on.
At this time, I have no new works in mind. I only know that there is going to be one, and most likely it will be politically driven. I also want to produce a work that is stylistically different than “Hemp and the Rule of Law”. I really don't enjoy writing or using narration, so I will get away from the written narration/voiceover technique that I felt was required for “Hemp and the Rule of Law”.
9. What are your thoughts on the film industry in NC?
I am very impressed with the independent work that has been produced in the state the past several years. There has always been a lot of student work because of the many video/film programs throughout the state, but there seems to be a lot more non-student independent work than there used to be. I am encouraged by this trend. I am sure that cheaper, better, digital equipment can account for some of this, but it still takes talent, time and passion to tell good stories. NC filmmakers are somehow finding more ways to tell their stories. I would encourage NC Public Television continue to recognize these filmmakers with programs like NC Visions.
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