"Truck Farm" and "King Corn" debut at Whole Foods Market® Do Something Reel Film Festival in July

AUSTIN, Texas, July 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Whole Foods Market announces that "King Corn" and "Truck Farm," will make their debut in July as part of the company's Do Something Reel Film Festival. 

"King Corn," directed by Aaron Woolf, and "Truck Farm," directed by Ian Cheney, explore some of today's most important agricultural issues. The films will be available to online audiences for one month, beginning July 1, at www.dosomethingreel.com.  "King Corn" will be available for $5.99 and "Truck Farm" for $4.99.  

"King Corn" follows Cheney and filmmaker Curt Ellis as they move from Boston to the heartland to plant and grow a bumper crop of corn in Iowa. When the pair tries to follow their successful crop off the farm and into the food system, what they find raises troubling questions about how we eat – and how we farm.

"Truck Farm," takes viewers on a journey across New York City exploring the city's most unconventional urban farms to find out if America's largest city can learn to feed itself. The film poses important questions about the future of the industry and the path to a truly sustainable future.

"As we work as a society to develop a more sustainable, just, and healthful food system, we need to continually broaden the conversation about where our food is coming from," said Ian Cheney, director of "Truck Farm." "We are thrilled to have our films be part of the Do Something Reel festival." 

Proceeds from each monthly film will help fund the 2013 Whole Foods Market/AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs Festival filmmaker grants. Filmmakers Taggart Siegel and co-directors Rebecca Marshall Ferris and Jason Ferris were selected as the recipients of the 2012 grant, which were announced at the AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs Documentary Festival on June 24. The grants are awarded to film projects within the green genre in development and completion stages that tell a compelling story and have the power to inform, motivate and inspire positive action.

Siegel, whose documentary, "Queen of the Sun: What are the Bees Telling Us," was the June Do Something Reel featured film, received the grant for his newest documentary, "Seed." Currently in development, "Seed" follows those working tirelessly to preserve agricultural security and seed diversity in an uphill battle against high-tech industrial seed companies and an impending global food crisis.

Ferris's film, "Can't Stop the Water," is an intimate portrayal of America's first climate refugees – the Native Americans of Isle de Jean Charles, Louisiana, who are fighting to preserve their tribe as Gulf waters threaten to wash them away. 

"We are honored to be collaborating with Whole Foods Market for a second consecutive year on this very meaningful grants program," said Sky Sitney, Silverdocs' Festival Director.  "It is a privilege to be able to expand our mission beyond screening exceptional non-fiction films to being able to offer significant resources to help talented filmmakers realize their visions."

Do Something Reel, which kicked off on Earth Day, is an ongoing collection of provocative films about food and environmental issues that can be purchased and streamed online at www.dosomethingreel.com for a limited time. The festival is presented in association with Applegate Organic & Natural Meat, Earthbound Farm Organic, Popcorn Indiana and siggi's.

CONTACTS:
Robin Rehfield, Whole Foods Market, 617.401.4145, [email protected] 

SOURCE Whole Foods Market