Film Seed Festival | Hypercomf

How can small-scale agricultural practice benefit from the use of new technologies, circular economy strategies, and approaches that also cultivate the earth culturally? The first experimental, open-field, peanut-powered Film Seed Festival plants its first “seeds”.

By repairing the present, we forge the future. As part of the European Commission’s S+T+ARTS initiative, Onassis Stegi is teaming up with the Hypercomf artist collective to explore smart agriculture and give answer to how we might use technology to improve rural farming areas, making them models of sustainability and prosperity.

The festival began in spring 2022 with the soil preparation and planting of Arachis Hypogea peanuts on a one-hectare field. The crop’s growing process was monitored by smart agriculture technology which allowed for optimal management of the use of water - a scarce and valuable resource of the island. Converted to biodiesel, half of the peanut harvest is used to generate electricity for the film festival. The other half is cooked to provide nutritious snacks for the audience.

Film Seed Festival wishes to set a motivating example for small farming communities to create their own strategies of cultural, ecological and economic resiliency.

The selected films reflect on the personal stories of people from small rural communities and the challenges they face, whether they confront the absurdness of the mass agribusiness economy (Cabbage, Potatoes and Other Demons by Șerban Georgescu, Romania), devise new 'patents' to make their produce more viable (Snails by Grzegorz Szczepaniak, Poland), or reclaim their land in post-apocalyptic conditions (The Babushkas of Chernobyl by Holly Morris and Anne Bogart, USA). Celebrating the resilience of nature and small farming communities (When Tomatoes Met Wagner by Marianna Oikonomou, Greece), the screenings of these narrative documentaries take place at the same field where the peanuts were grown: a small field nestled amidst the patchwork of farmlands in the area of Livadi, near the village of Komi.

Cabbage, Potatoes and Other Demons (Romania 2016, 62 min.) by Șerban Georgescu

Saturday, October 15th 2022 | 18.30

In the Romanian village of Lunguletu, 1.000 farmers on their tractors sit on 100.000 tons of cabbage in the local market, waiting for customers. At the end of the day they either sell their product for little or destroy their crops. Intrigued about the prospect of getting a ton of cabbage for just twenty euros, Șerban Georgescu decides to spend one year in the village and work the land, to see why these people got into a deadlock and if there is any way out. The Mayor and some villagers have ideas and possible solutions. Can they overcome the farmers mistrusting each other, their fear of a "collective farm", and the powerful urge to compete? A glimpse of current realities of agricultural production in Europe, Cabbage, Potatoes and Other Demons tells from the inside the story of a village that got stuck in between past and present.

Snails (Poland 2015, 30 min) by Grzegorz Szczepaniak

Saturday, October 15th 2022 | 19.30

Andrzej decides to open a snail farm together with his friend. Despite the lack of experience, he believes in the success of the enterprise. Grzegorz Skalmowski from Pasłęk comes to the rescue; he is the Polish snail guru called ‘the Snail King’ and gives valuable advice. Preparations for the farm opening are in progress. During breaks at work, the men talk about life and death, love and friendship, which becomes the essence of the film and the snail grows to the proportion of the symbol of revival and eternal life.

The Babushkas of Chernobyl (USA 2015, 70 min) by Holly Morris & Anne Bogart

Sunday, October 16th 2022 | 18.30

In the radioactive Dead Zone surrounding Chernobyl's Reactor No. 4, a defiant community of women scratches out an existence on some of the most toxic land on Earth. They share this hauntingly beautiful but lethal landscape with an assortment of visitors - scientists, soldiers, and even 'stalkers' - young thrill-seekers who sneak in to pursue post-apocalyptic video game-inspired fantasies. Why the women chose to return after the disaster - defying the authorities and endangering their health - is a remarkable tale about the pull of home, the healing power of shaping one's destiny, and the subjective nature of risk.

When Tomatoes Met Wagner (Greece 2019, 73 min) by Marianna Economou

Monday, October 17th 2022 | 18.30

Elias, a small farming village in central Greece, is dying out. But two cousins team up with the village grannies to cultivate the tomato seeds they have kept for hundreds of years. With a little help from Wagner’s music –which they use to help their tomatoes grow– the team succeeds in exporting little jars with organic tomato recipes across the world. The film follows the protagonists of this unlikely quest, as they struggle to survive and make their dream come true. Humorous and bittersweet, this is a story about the importance of reinventing oneself in times of crisis and the power of human relationships.

Film Seed Festival was developed as part of S+T+ARTS residencies commissioned by Onassis Stegi and in collaboration with AGENSO, an innovative company for agriculture and the environment and in collaboration with ACT4ENERGY - Democritus University of Thrace Spin-off.