Two filmmaking sisters tell the story of their former home – America’s largest commune.
In the early 1970s, a group of more than 300 hippies traveled by caravan from San Francisco across the US to eventually settle in Tennessee. Purchasing over a thousand acres, they founded The Farm, a self-governing, self-sufficient commune that grew to 1,500 members by 1980, and attracted curious visitors by the thousands. Sisters Nadine Mundo and Rena Mundo Croshere were born there. Though they left The Farm as children, it left its indelible mark. Seeking out the founders of this still-extant alternative society, and through interviews with their parents and fellow Farm children, the Mundos offer an insider’s view of a fascinating social experiment.
The Mundo sisters have already made their initial Kickstarter goal for basic post-production financing. There are still two days left to raise additional funds to support other costs, including music and archival licensing and marketing. After the campaign wraps, keep updated on their progress at the film’s website.
Alternative societies hold a natural interest for me, especially one in which a large group of countercultural San Francisco “freaks” plopped themselves down in a place that (no doubt unfairly) isn’t generally known for its openmindedness. While The Farm has attracted no small amount of media coverage in its history, the Mundos’ personal connection distinguishes this project, and promises a point of access that should be illuminating. Even though I’ve been critical of filmmakers appearing as subjects in their own films, in this case, that aspect seems essential to the project. I look forward to seeing how they balance their own personal experience of The Farm with that of its larger story.
what (not) to doc 