Award-winning documentary The Garden to screen in Santa Cruz

The Garden, a 2009 Academy Award nominee for best documentary feature (www.thegardenmovie.com), will be shown Thursday, March 25, 7 p.m. at the Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave, Santa Cruz. Proceeds will benefit the California Food and Justice Coalition.

The Garden documents the rise of a lush 14-acre community garden in South Central Los Angeles from the ashes of the 1992 riots. It grew to become the largest of its kind in the United States only to be threatened with destruction when the property was sold under questionable circumstances.

The ensuing controversy attracted worldwide attention, including such notable politicians and celebrities as Antonio Villaraigosa, Maxine Waters, Dennis Kucinich, John Quigley, Daryl Hannah, Danny Glover, Joan Baez, Zak de la Rocha, and Willie Nelson, who fought to save the garden.

A panel discussion will follow the screening with:

• Rufina Juárez, of the South Central Farmers, who will talk about the personal experience of eviction from the garden and what the farmers are doing now.

• Shereen D’Souza, of the California Food & Justice Coalition, talking about model policies and actions that communities are taking to protect land for food production.

• Terry Corwin, Executive Director of the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, talking about what is happening in Santa Cruz County to protect farm and garden space as well as natural habitat.

Doors open at 6:30.

Tickets are $10 purchased online at: www.brownpapertickets.com or $15 at the door. No charge for children under 16.

The California Food & Justice Coalition promotes the basic human right to healthy food while advancing social, agricultural, environmental and economic justice.

The evening is organized by the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems at UC Santa Cruz and the California Food and Justice Coalition.

Co-sponsors are Transition Santa Cruz and Slow Food Santa Cruz.

Contact casfs@ucsc.edu for more information.