The Garden Movie Review

Kati Lopez, The Garden


Scott Hamilton Kennedy, Director

A presentation of:
The Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund
Docs on the Shortlist

On Saturday night 1/10/2009, 7 p.m." The Garden" was shown to an enthusiastic public. As late as the previous Thursday Tribecca had not sold enough tickets to make the screening worthwhile. But by Saturday night it was a sold out crowd that battled the City snow to see this documentary. It was a mostly young, thirty something crowd who remembers not long ago or maybe even still frequents the Forever 21 clothing stores.

The Garden chronicles the southern California neighborhood South Central 14 acre Community Farm where in 1992 the riots broke out following the police beating of Rodney King and their subsequent acquittal. This event is repeated with the courts, the politicians, the money and land holders of Los Angeles prevailing as they set about destroying the community garden where the riots once ravished the land subsequently saved through the community's tedious and successful agricultural efforts.

This subject, the destruction of squatters' property and the Community Gardens is one that resonates strongly with New Yorkers. Every day new bigger-than-life buildings are erected, more concrete poured upon our land while the little bit of grass, of foliage disappears never to be seen again even with the activation of the million tree agenda.

In The Garder, Scott Hamilton Kennedy brings into sharp relief the political lies by the unabashed politicians and the court's twists and turns seemingly without reason and behind closed doors, and the ego driven people emerge from beneath their thin covers, those who would rather have land lie baron, unusable dirt than have it be made into green lettuce or food fit for a dinner table.

This is a documentary done with real artistry, with the heavy hand of a team of people who care about the "community' and the youthful energy to persist until they get the story out, the story that the U.S. press hides from its citizens.

The Tribeca and Gucci foundation are committed to bringing to light just this type of hidden political story and Scott Kennedy has met their challenge with an effort well worth the price of admission.

Linda Z
WBAI Women's Collective