14 min, HD video, 2012
Can kale chips replace Cheetos?
SYNOPSIS
In East Oakland access to fresh produce is a problem that makes it difficult for many families to keep a healthy diet. They are surrounded by liquor stores and fast food restaurants that offer cheap calories with tempting flavors in exchange for bad nutrition. Shot in observational style, The Corner Garden takes us into a backyard garden in the midst of this industrial neighborhood, where a group of teenagers struggle to grow their own vegetables, and think about the food they eat in a different way. However, it’s not always easy to change your eating habits.
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
Food is essential for all of us. In the fall of 2010, when I arrived at the United States for my graduate study, it took me some time to get used to the food here. I mostly complained about eggplants and tomatoes; they were either too expensive or not tasty enough. Later that year, I got introduced to the concept of food deserts. The fact that many low-income neighborhoods didn’t have proper access to affordable and fresh produce was shocking to me. I grew up in a country where fast food was more expensive than fresh produce. Once I got interested in the issue, I found many books and films that address the complexities of our current food system, and discuss the problems and inequalities created by it. As a filmmaker, I was interested in exploring more about the ways in which these problems are reflected in people’s daily lives. I wanted to understand and convey the experience of living with limited access to healthy food choices through an unobtrusive, observational film style.
SCREENINGS
Slamdance, 2013
Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, 2013
Thin Line Film Festival, 2013
Colorado Environmental Film Festival, 2013
International Oakland Film Festival, 2013
Green Guerrillas 2013 Film Festival
CREDITS
Directed and edited by Duygu Eruçman
Sound recording by Paul Donatelli
Additional sound by Adam J. Smith and Paul Meyers
Sound Mix by Dan Olmsted
Color Correction by Brook Hinton
Music Supervision by Chloe Raynes
