GIMME GREEN

GIMME GREEN

    Price: $265.00

    Code: 2292

    Directed by Isaac Brown and Eric Flagg
    2007, 28 Minutes
    Purchase: $265 Classroom Rental: $125


    A social history of one of our most recognizable national symbols - the residential lawn. Humorous, but thought-provoking, Gimme Green considers the impact of this uniquely American obsession on the environment, our health, and our way of life.

    Whether in the sun-parched deserts of the American southwest or the humid climates of the eastern seaboard, the residential landscape is the same. Lawns carpet 50,000 square miles in the United States, requiring more than 30,000 tons of pesticides each year and 200 gallons of water a day per American. Every day, 5,000 acres in America are converted to lawns. By examining the social, commercial, and environmental pressures surrounding the green-grass aesthetic, we begin to understand how a non-edible, resource-intensive plant has become our nation's largest irrigated crop.

    Employing an engaging blend of gravity and levity, this documentary follows a lawn of the month contest in a small suburb and a city code enforcement officer as he writes citations for unkempt lawns. It examines the inner-workings of a desert sod farm as well as an artificial turf factory. It questions how lawn pesticides are applied and what their affects may be on our health.

    An unforgettable investigative work, Gimme Green will ensure you never look at grass the same way again.

    Subjects & Collections



    Festivals & Awards

    * Official Screening, Organization of American Historians Annual Conference, 2009
    * Winner, Academy of Television Arts and Sciences' College Television Award, 2007
    * Finalist, International Documentary Association's David L. Wolper Award, 2006
    * Finalist, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Student Academy Award, 2007
    * Winner, Beverly Hills Shorts Festival, Best Documentary Short, 2007
    * Winner, Phoenix Film Festival, Best Documentary Short, 2007
    * Winner, Big Muddy Film Festival, Jurors' Citation, 2007
    * Winner, Oxford International Film Festival, Best Documentary Short, 2007
    * Winner, Houston WorldFest, Silver Remi Award, 2007
    * Winner, DeadCenter Film Festival, Best Documentary Short, 2007
    * Winner, Toofy Film Fest, Golden Toof Award for Best Documentary Short, 2007
    * Winner, Austin Film Festival, Audience Award for Best Documentary Short, 2007
    * Winner, Oxford Film Festival, Best Documentary Short, 2007



    Reviews

    “An entertaining slice of Americana with an environmental edge (particularly in its comments about the potential looming water shortage, Gimme Green is recommended . Combines hard-hitting statistics and breezy interviews. Engaging.” - Video Librarian

    “This serious yet humorous look at ‘America’s obsession’ is much like watching a Michael Moore documentary, but without his confrontational style. Highly recommended for libraries serving junior-high through adult audiences.” - Educational Media Reviews Online