Sarajevo, San Francisco and Salt Spring Island B.C. film festivals: lovely people!

The weekend of March 3-6 was our busiest in awhile...Three International film festivals, running simultaneously, showed our film to brand new audiences.

Judy and I were attending the first ever, San Francisco Green film fest at the swanky Landmark Embarcadero Cinemas while Deb Vester, one of our main characters from the film represented us at the wonderful Salt Spring Island Documentary festival up in the Canadian Gulf Islands. She had a wonderful time and says the audience was super engaged in the film...thanks to Diane Copeland and the fest organizers for the invitation and giving Deb the royal treatment.

The third screening was at the 17 International Environmental film festival in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzogovina. (see their wonderful green eyelash graphic) We're still waiting to hear how that went-we'll follow up later. We had over one hundred people at our Sarajevo screening according to the festival director!

San Franciso was wonderful...we met so lots of new people, saw other terrific films, networked the crowd with postcards and sold DVD's too. We had such a great venue, time slot (8:15pm on a Saturday night!) one of the largest turnouts of the festival and a special 'Centerpiece' Flower Power after party directly following the screening...Thanks so much to Rachel Caplan (festival Director) and her top notch staff including BTTG's own Shane Keller (he appears in the '88 healing gathering and says " the purpose that brings us all together is LOVE.") Shane came down from Humbolt County to volunteer at the festival and we had a terrific time getting reacquainted...he's a terrific human being.

We also met Dorio and Tree who came up from Watsonville to be at the screening and also participated in the Q & A following the film. They are both part of the original Okanogan community and joined us for the after party as well...thanks for coming to San Francisco you two!

REEL NW to broadcast Back to the Garden January 27th, 10pm on KCTS CH.9 (PBS).

The exciting news for January: REEL NW, a brand new television series from Seattle's PBS affilitate, KCTS channel 9, is set to air "Back to the Garden" on January 27th (thursday) at 10pm. This will be our film's first time on Television...a world television premiere! We are very proud to be a part of KCTS' new series featuring 'the very best of independent film from the Northwest.' We'll keep you posted as the date gets nearer...

Ojai film festival offers a taste of Hollywood mixed with beads and incense.

If you drive about an hour northwest of Los Angeles, tucked away into the coastal hills, you 'll find Ojai. A native American word meaning 'Moon's Nest'. Ojai has about 8,000 residents, a mix of L.A. retirees, Hollywood veterans, farmers and many counter cultural folks who love its spiritual,small-town vibe..sits at the base of some impressive mounts called the topa topas...At sunset the hills glow warmly in what the natives refer to as 'the pink moment".

We enjoyed some warm moments ourselves as we showed our film at the 11th Ojai film festival Nov. 4-7th. Met lots of Southern Californians at Ojai who loved our film and thanked us for its sweetness, honesty and uplifting message. Great weather greeted our Southern Cal debut along with good sized audiences too...We loved both the Art Center and Ojai Playhouse venues.

We attended some terrific workshops with legendary cinematographer Michael Chapman (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The Last Detail), listened to the wisdom of Independent Producer Larry Turman (the Graduate), rubbed shoulders with other filmmakers from L.A., latvia and AFI and saw films you just can't see anywhere else...Special thanks to Steve and Liz Grumette for sharing their home with us and talking us up with locals...who couldn't have been warmer...thanks Ojai!

Ironweed Films makes "Garden" its September Film of the Month!

We're so stoked that Ironweed Films of Oxnard, CA. has chosen our film as their Film of the Month for September! This is a passionate, progressive, socially-responsible group of film lovers who know that many folks will never see Independent docs outside the film festival circuit. To bridge this gap, they offer a provocative film festival on DVD every month.

Ironweed Films

Feature story in Washington State Magazine hails "Back to the Garden"

Very good plug for "Back to the Garden" just came out in the new Fall edition of Washington State Magazine both online and in print...with a base of 140,000 readers!!!

That's good news indeed. (click the link to see article)

Thanks Murrow School of Communications, WSU magazine and Hannelore Sudermann.

More Amsterdam pics from the Dutch Environmental film festival...and a special side trip out to the "hippie community" of Ruigoord

The "hippie village" of Ruigoord 30 mins outside of Amsterdam... an entire village squatted in the 70's and still alive in the new millenium...We went there for a "Percussion Festival" and to give the community a copy of our film...Everyone told us..."you've got to take your film there!"

L-R: Thea with friend and daughter. Thea has been coming out to Ruigoord to juggle and meet friends for over 20 years...mostly on weekends and for special fests.

This group of Dutch Women loved being photographed. I got the impression coming to Ruigoord is like a counter culture Las Vegas in that you come there to get loose and have fun with friends but return to your normal routine when the Monday roles around...

You meet the nicest people in Holland....

Studio K: Closing night at the Dutch Environmental film fest in Amsterdam...good crowd.

Taking Questions from a much younger audience than most of our previous venues.

Screening which proceeded a big late night dance party...

Our crowd: dressed for the 'Green Carpet' closing night at Studio K, Amsterdam.

17th Barcelona Environmental Festival welcomes "Back to the Garden"

We're screening today (Thursday) at 8pm at the Cines Alexandra in the heart of Barcelona right on the historic Ramblas! For more on the Festival click Barcelona. more to come...

Soap Lake works its magic!

Dry Falls...20 mins north of Soap Lake on highway 17.... Not to be missed!

l-R: Judy, Skeeter (Michael Pilarski) and Kevin at Soap Lake's Masquers Theater on May 15th for Opening Night of the Soap Lake film Series, sponsored by Jacol filmworks.

Good crowd, great people...we met organic farmers, permaculture gurus, seasoned filmmakers and simply lots of like-minded folk who came out to support us. Soap lake has healing waters and we wasted no time checking it out...The lake has been a mecca to thousands in its heyday (early 1900's through WWII)...since then it's been largely overlooked.

But thanks to visionaries like Kathy Kiefer, local filmmaker and Soap Lake resident, it's on the comeback trail...We loved it and can't wait to go back and soak up more sunshine and it's amazing healing waters. Soap lake Washington.

It's also becoming a haven for artists and all sorts of alternative folk who love the natural beauty of the area and are creating real community.

May 15th... Masquers theater in Historic Soap Lake. 7:30pm Saturday night.

photo: Historian and filmmaker Kathy Keifer at Soap Lake 2005 (above)

photo: circa 1922 postcard from Soap lake: "It will cure you"....

We've had May 15th 2010 on the books for almost a year...Screening at a state of the art Theater (the Masquers theater) at Soap Lake, WA. a tiny dot on the map but....thanks to one kindred spirit, filmmaker kathy Kiefer, it's gaining a reputation for screening inspired independent films...Kathy has produced three docs herself and knows her audiences.

"I'm committed to producing documentaries that enlighten and inspire deeper thought." kathy kiefer

So we're really thrilled to be invited to Soap Lake and experience the healing waters, the local arts-scene and the historic spa-atmosphere which it's famous for...check out Kathy's site for more. www.soaplakewa.com

Where's soap lake? Just North of I-90 near Quincy. Not far from the Gorge Amphitheater.

Come on over for the weekend and meet the locals at our 'Garden Party'...

"Garden" receives a FIVE STAR review in Portland's Willamette Weekly

photo: Phil Borges 2008

Portland's venerable Willamette Week Newspaper

rates "Back to the Garden" with Five Stars on eve of it's first theatrical run...anywhere.

The Clinton Street Theater, the oldest art house cinema in Portland is screening "Back to the Garden" for a special one-week run...

send your PTD friends over...If it does well, they're willing to extend the run. Cool!

click on the links above to read the entire review...

Santa Fe Film Festival: December 2-6, 2009

Heaven Scent Films announces:

the Southwest Premiere of

the award-winning new documentary

Back to the Garden

Flower Power Comes Full Circle

www.backtothegardenfilm.com

screening at the

Santa Fe Film Festival

www.santafefilmfestival.com

Thursday, December 3, 2009 at DeVargas 2 Theater *

Friday, December 4, 2009 at DeVargas 3 Theater *

A new Feature documentary which asks the Question,

Where have all the 'Flowers' gone?

Take a trip back to the remote wilds of Washington State, meet a community of off-grid, back to the land hippies who dropped-out of the American mainstream in the 1970’s.

In 1988, The filmmaker met and interviewed this thriving tribal community and now, 20 years later, returns to find out what’s become of their lives, their families and their dreams of environmental utopia.

Official Selection in 10 International Film Festivals

World Premier: Seattle International Film Festival

WINNER : Best of Washington film Award 2009

Come join us, tell your friends,

burn some sage….

* Filmmakers Kevin Tomlinson and Judy Kaplan will attend

and will host a question & answer session following the film.

Tel Aviv wraps with sold out screening.

(photo: L-R, Judy, Kevin, Harsita Eshel (Festival Director), Anameika Eshel (co-director) and Israeli filmmaker, Yael who presented a film about the Rainbow movement in Israel.)

photo: courtesy of Yohan Segev, Tel Aviv

We were humbled by the turnout and the overwhelming response to our second screening in Tel Aviv. Many commented about how inspired and moved they were by the film's characters and their life struggles.

There were questions about whether our film has distribution or not (We're currently self-distributing ) and whether it will show on Television (we're working on it after it shows at a few more fests). Many young 20-somethings came up to us and told us how they'd been thinking about the film all day, how hopeful the stories are and that they were considering moving up to the north of Israel to grow their own food and change life directions.

One of the members of our audience was NBC News' Middle East correspondent, Martin Fletcher and his wife (who both LOVED the film). Martin is one of NBC's icons (30 years in Israel) and is a huge plus in getting a possible Israeli documentary channel introduction.

More comments:

"I walked out with my heart smiling"..."If the music soundtrack were available on CD, I'd buy it !"

Tel Aviv Spiritual Film Festival to screen "Back to the Garden" on September 11th and 12th!

We are the guests of the Tel Aviv Spiritual Film Fest. We are so excited to go to Israel...we've never been there.

This is a film fest that particularly honors the spiritual theme which runs throughout "Back to the Garden..." We're especially curious to witness an Israeli audience response to our story of the American dream set in the Back-to-the-land community of rural Washington State.

For more about what kind of International spiritual films we'll be rubbing shoulders with, check this out! Tel Aviv spiritual film fest 2009

We'll keep you posted on our screening direct from the middle east.

SIFFtv interview on the making of "BTTG"

To see the original interview on SIFFtv and 

other interviews from the festival...go here.

Big Weekend screenings in the Okanogan.

*click on news articles to enlarge....

Thanks to everyone who came out last weekend in both Tonasket and Twisp

to support "Back to the Garden, flower power comes full circle".

We had big friendly audiences in both screenings with lots of laughter and some tears. You made us feel like family! We love you and look forward to coming back again soon...

Special thanks to Don at KTRT 97.5 fm in the beautiful Methow valley, Joyce Campbell and Sue Misao at the Methow Valley News, Aaron Studen at the Twisp River Pub for all their help in getting folks to come see what turned out to be a very special screening. It was packed!!!

Thanks also go to Emily Hanson at the Okanogan Gazette and Sheila Corson of the Omak Chronicle for writing fab stories that helped spark local interest in of our 2o year film project.

In Tonasket, thanks to River Jones, Peter James, Julie Greenwood, Alice and all the great folks at the Tonasket Community Cultural Center and the Tonasket Co-op, where it all began!

"I'm still a hippie. I haven't changed. I keep changing but my core values of love, being against the war,making peace with the earth, are the same.

The rock bottom foundations of what hippies were...remain with us still.

I was never personally beat up, but we always hear the tales of long hairs where red necks would cut off their hair with chainsaws, people were beat up, houses were torched. Those were rare...mostly it was just a murmuring campaign and a lot of evil eyes and bad stares back then."

Skeeter just turned 60 recently.

But to look at him, you'd swear he's 10 years younger...in fact young organic farm interns have a hard time keeping up with him. A tireless ball of energy and enthusiasm, Skeeter is the original founder of the Okanogan Family Barter Faire, the Healing Gatherings  and most recently the Fairy and Human Relations Congress* (* which takes place annually in the Methow Valley).  

He is a much sought after lecturer on permaculture and wildcrafting, runs an herbal biz called Friends of the Trees (see Michael Pilarski) www.friendsofthetrees.net  and has lived most of his adult life on less than $2,000./year, no car, no permanant home. He's lived communally.  His is one of the stories told in the soon to be released feature documentary about a group of back to the landers who settled in the Methow and Okanogan Valleys in the 70's and 80's, "Back to the Garden, flower power comes full circle."

Jeffrey Stonehill: Troubador, Poet, Musician, Bard, playwright...

Jeffrey has returned home to the Northwest after a nine month personal journey to Central America.  His life and transformation over the last 20 years is the subject of a Heaven Scent Films' feature documentary about the re-emergence of the woodstock generation. 

Jeffrey is currently writing plays about Einstein and Darwin...stay tuned for performance dates... "Back to the Garden, flower power comes full circle" is scheduled to be released in the Spring of 2009.  

To sample Jeffrey in action, check out the Back to the Garden film website at:

www.backtothegardenfilm.com

911 premiere a hit

Our first public showing of the short demo for the feature length

documentary,  "Back to the Garden, flower power comes full circle,"

received full support from the 911 board and guests at last nights

Fundraiser...Lots of good questions from the audience after the

screening on 911's new High Definition Projector and great food

and refreshments from the folks of Skillet and 911 staff...

thanks for a great evening and coming out party everyone!

Special thanks to Carole Fuller and Deirdre Doyle.

A lot of time was spent talking about memories and perceptions

of the Sixties' counterculture then and now as well as communes, hippies, organic food, health care, the back to the land movement, 

spirituality and much more...

To view a short demo of the film please go to the film's website:

www.backtothegardenfilm.com

Back to the Garden documentary

Dear friends,

After years of working on other people’s films, I’m taking a huge personal step—and I need your support more than ever to do it. I’m passionately at work editing my first feature-length documentary, “Back to the Garden“. This is not something I’ve embarked on lightly. The story has been literally more than 20 years in the making...and I’ve never felt so strongly about a project in my life.

It began in 1988 when I took a road trip that led me on a strange and wonderful journey.
By chance, I noticed a handmade poster advertising a Hippie Healing gathering in a remote valley in rural Washington State... I decided to go.

What I experienced there felt like time travel, finding myself among ‘magic buses’ and tepees in a meadow filled with flower children communing with nature. I shot hours of dancing, drumming, singing and celebration—and recorded extensive interviews with some of the most sincere, iconoclastic characters I have ever met.

At the time, I had no plan for the material. So I shelved it…and it sat in my basement…for 18 years! But I couldn’t let it go. Then finally it hit me. Where have all the ‘flowers’ gone?
Had their dreams of environmental sustainability survived, had anyone changed course and gone mainstream? How did their children feel about their own ‘Hippie Kid’ childhoods?

Nearly 20 years later I set out on another journey—to find out what had become of their youthful dreams of self-reliance.

What I found speaks so directly and profoundly to the most pressing problems facing America—and our world today. This personal time-lapse creates an emotionally moving story… not only because of those who rejected mainstream society—but also because of the enduring personal sacrifices and consequences of those choices…and because this is also our story as well… as the 60’s affected everyone.

Today, the world has whole-heartedly embraced these ‘radical’ yet simple ideas, ideas once considered “fringe’ or “out of touch” and now being adopted by a ‘green movement’ looking to protect the Earth for future generations.

With your faith and tax-deductible financial help I’m entering the film in the International Documentary Festival (IDFA) in Amsterdam where new documentaries are discovered by distributors and networks for general release. It’s the best way for indeed filmmakers like me to get a real shot at reaching a larger audience. To date our production team has raised $40,000. Our goal is $150,000. to be raised by October 30th, 2008.

I'd love to discuss your participation in making this project a success. I’m sure once you see a sample of this film, you’ll share my excitement about bringing Back to the Garden to a wider audience.

I’ll be in touch...and please, leave a message here if you'd like to know more...Thanks so much for considering helping me make this lifelong dream a reality—and bringing a great story to life.

Kevin Tomlinson
ktvc2001@aol.com

Heaven Scent Films

http://www.heavenscentfilms.com