Chicago Feminist Film Festival 2019 – Alice's Garden
Venice Williams, director of a community garden in Milwaukee, intertwines the history of slavery, the garden, rivers and water, and connects to the present, showing how the garden is using innovative water solutions that are a model for communities nationwide.
Interview with Director/Editor Jenny Plevin
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I have been working with the Milwaukee Water Commons for years. We had made previous short videos together, and when the opportunity popped up to make this film with American Rivers, they asked me. They wanted to hear voices that are not often heard in our environmental community. Alice's Garden was working on making a giant cistern, and Venice Williams, the ED of Alice's Garden is a wealth of thoughts, ideas, history and the ability to make connections to all these things around water.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
It is a film about a garden, that makes connections from the escape of enslaved people, to rivers, to a garden, to modern urban spaces not designed for everyone to enjoy, to conservation and building a giant cistern, to the work we need to do for our children's, children's, children. Hopefully it will inspire people to action around water and make connections between water and liberation.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
There is a very personal story told of an escaped enslaved woman, her connection to the garden, and how racial disparity continues with water and land. Her story is a liberation story and is tied into the garden today, and Milwaukee today. Our stewardship becomes the continuation of that escape and liberation.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
I shot a lot of film of the garden, spent a lot of time following Venice everywhere she went, and had a lot of footage. I knew the film would be about working to create the cistern, but hanging with Venice I heard her thoughts about the deep connections to water from the womb through death – all aspects of life. There was so much there, it was difficult to cut down. There are at least three more films in the footage. I'll get to them eventually!
What type of feedback have you received so far?
People seem to enjoy the film. Maybe they are surprised to hear a connection from slavery, to the garden, to water... about racial disparity and water. There are a lot of layers to it. I'm now working with a teacher who really was affected by the film, on an educational guide. We will test it out with 4th graders and then adapt and have it available for teachers to use.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I find it interesting people find a lot of hope, to me it gives me a lot of energy to fight. we have to put in the work, and we will, as Venice says.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I'd love for more people to see the film and experience all the connections Venice is making to water. Slavery, racial disparity, health, community, collective work, hope and fighting to make things better for future generations.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
I'd love the film to get in front of as many eyes as possible. I'm looking for funding to develop our educational guide for the film to be seen in classrooms, and also for funds to edit a short follow up film about the actual installation of the giant cistern at Alice's Garden.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I hope the film inspires people to act, to notice the layers of injustice and water, but to also fight for more equity and conservation.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Who has access to water in your city?
Would you like to add anything else?
I began this film with a 3-month old baby, who came almost everywhere I filmed with Venice. He was always in the background right out of the frame. Then there while editing. Just interesting to note!
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Venice always has a million amazing projects running in addition to Alice's Garden, one of them is creating a new cooperative in Milwaukee. Jenny is running doc|UWM, a documentary Center at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and in addition to other numerous projects, she has a follow up short film to make about the installation of the giant water cistern at Alice's Garden, that is in the can.
Interview: February 2019
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
Alice’s Garden
Venice Williams, director of a community garden in Milwaukee, intertwines the history of slavery, the garden, rivers and water, and connects to the present, showing how the garden is using innovative water solutions that are a model for communities nationwide.
Length: 9:22
Director: Jenny Plevin
Producer: Amy Kober
About the writer, director and producer:
JENNY PLEVIN is an artist and filmmaker living and working in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As the Program Director of doc|UWM, a documentary media center in the Department of Film, Video, Animation, and New Genres at University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee, she collaborates with students and community partners. She has helped produce two full length feature documentaries shown on public television and screened at film festivals locally, nationally, and internationally. Jenny centers her films on social justice and environmental issues using video, installation and photography.
AMY KOBER directs the national marketing and communications efforts at American RIvers. She oversees the organization’s creative storytelling initiative, which has resulted in a series of award-winning films.
Key cast: Venice Williams, Nicole Carver
Looking for: film festival directors, journalists
Made in association with: American Rivers
Funders: American Rivers
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Chicago Feminist Film Festival/ Chicago, IL - Feb. 28; Water Docs Film Festival/ Toronto, Canada - March 22; Downstream Environmental Film Festival/Northfield, Minnesota - Feb 20-22.