The recent Farm Bill provision for hemp research and pilot programs has sparked national media awareness and conversation about hemp. But what’s preventing the U.S. from fully joining 31 other industrialized nations that allow its farmers to grow this beneficial crop?
A screening of the award-winning documentary film “Bringing It Home” and Q&A with film Director Linda Booker will be hosted by the Kentucky Industrial Hemp Commission on Aug 9, 7 p.m., at the Alhambra Theater in Hopkinsville.
In 2013 twenty-one states introduced industrial hemp legislation, but current federal policy still places a barrier on production. More industrial hemp fiber, seed and oil is exported to the U.S. than to any other country and American consumers are purchasing over $500 million in hemp products annually. Bringing It Home explores the question of why a crop with so many widespread benefits cannot be farmed in the United States by exploring its history, industries and current farming legalization efforts.
Filmmakers Linda Booker and Blaire Johnson were inspired by environmentally-conscious home designer Anthony Brenner’s story to find the healthiest building material available to build a safe indoor environment for his young daughter Bailey, who has a sensitivity to synthetic chemicals. Brenner received national media attention when he and Hemp Technologies completed “America’s First Hemp House” for the former mayor of Asheville, N. C. Booker and Johnson tell the story of hemp through animation, archival images and footage they filmed with hemp business leaders and entrepreneurs like Brenner in England, Spain, Washington D.C., California and North Carolina.
The screening of “Bringing It Home” in this area is part of a national grassroots screening tour across the country. “We made “Bringing It Home” with the intention of reaching a broad spectrum of viewers – from policy makers and civic groups, to farmers and health advocates, from consumers to the construction industry –with the same strategic message about how hemp offers solutions and hope,” says Director Booker. The documentary aims to magnify dialogue and legislative action about hemp in order to facilitate America’s transition to a more informed, sustainable, and healthy future.
Screening Date: Aug 9
Screening Time: 7 p.m.
Screening Location: Alhambra, 507 South Main St, Hopkinsville
Admission/Suggested Donation: Free. All are welcome!
For more information about the film: www.bringingithomemovie.com