“The Seeds of Vandana Shiva" at the Figge Art Museum -- January 22.
Sunday, January 22, 2 p.m.
Figge Art Museum, 225 West Second Street, Davenport IA
Telling the remarkable life story a Gandhian eco-activist who stood up to the corporate Goliaths of industrial agriculture, rose to prominence in the food-justice movement, and inspired an international crusade for change, the first presentation in River Action's annual QC Environmental Film Series will be screened at the Figge Art Museum on January 22, with the Davenport venue hosting the area premiere of 2022's award-winning documentary The Seeds of Vandana Shiva.
Trained as a physicist at the University of Punjab, Shiva completed her Ph.D. on "Hidden Variables and Non-locality in Quantum Theory" from the University of Western Ontario, Canada. She later shifted to inter-disciplinary research in science, technology, and environmental policy, which she carried out at the Indian Institute of Science and the Indian Institute of Management in Bangalore, India. In 1982, she founded the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology (RFSTE), an independent research institute that addresses the most significant problems of ecology of our times, and two years later, Navdanya (which means "nine seeds"), the movement in defense of biodiversity and contributions made to the climate, environment, and society by small farmers. The recipient of many awards, including the Right Livelihood Award and the Sydney Peace Prize, Shiva has been named among the top five “Most Important People in Asia” by AsiaWeek. She is also a prolific author of numerous books, serves on the board of the International Forum on Globalization, and is a member of the executive committee of the World Future Council.
Serving as producers and directors for The Seeds of Vandana Shiva are Camilla and Jim Becket, who launched their production company Becket Films with a mission to focus on international environmental issues, social justice, and health. Among their works are The Green Patriarch, The Amazon: The End of Infinity, The Arctic: The Consequences of Human Folly, and the multi-award-winning Sons of Africa, and in their directors' statement, the Beckets say, "We were first introduced to Vandana Shiva at a series of environmental conferences almost 20 years ago. And like most people on their first meeting with her, we realized immediately that we were in the presence of an eco-activist rock star. The more time we spent with her, and learned about her life experiences, the more we were inspired to tell her story. Her life has embodied the notion that 'one person can make a difference,' and so we asked if we could capture her journey on film. She agreed. The Seeds of Vandana Shiva is the result.
"Through Vandana’s evolution as an activist against the global Goliaths of food and farming, the film also aims to shine a light on where we are today – industrial food accounts for up to 40% of carbon emissions, while pesticides destroy soils, water systems and biodiversity, and harm human health. Contrary to the spin that industrial food is essential to feeding the world, today more than two billion people face food insecurity across the globe. Vandana speaks for an ecological vision for food and farming in which we can regenerate the environment and human democracies. Our hope is that Vandana’s extraordinary story will act as a catalyst for more awareness around the issues, and to inspire audiences to be part of the change."
The Seeds of Vandana Shiva will be screened in the Figge Art Museum's John Deere Auditorium on January 22, admission to the 2 p.m. showing is $5, and a six-film pass to all events in the QC Environmental Film Series (running through March 5) is available for $20. For more information on the documentary and the series, call (563)322-2969 and visit RiverAction.org/filmseries.
