Milwaukee Film Hosting ‘Let’s Dig In’ Series

“No talking” is a fundamental rule of moviegoing, but Laura Michele hopes her upcoming docuseries will encourage just the opposite.

With titles including Food, Inc. 2, The Biggest Little Farm and The Story of Plastic, Let’s Dig In will delve into topics like the environment and ecosystems, farming, nutrition and sustainability, aiming to spark curiosity and conversation among viewers.

Michele, who leads the nonprofit Beyond Organic, is spearheading the series, which is scheduled to run from January to June at the Oriental Theatre, 2230 N. Farwell Ave.

The timing is ideal, she said, aligning with the promise of a fresh start in 2025 and a wave of New Year’s resolutions. “People are thinking about their families and what they’re eating,” she said. “And they can come out to see these films in real life and stay on their path of health and wellness — know your farmer, know your food.”

Let’s Dig In kicks off Jan. 4 with The Need to Grow, a 2018 documentary exploring the importance of farmable soil. Kiss The Ground, narrated by Woody Harrelson, continues that theme, focusing on regenerative agriculture and its role in preserving topsoil and combatting climate change. The second screening will take place Jan. 18. The Garden, showing Feb. 1, tells the story of a 14-acre community farm in Los Angeles — and the battle to save it.

The series will also include Happening, Feb. 15; The Biggest Little Farm, March 1; The Grab, March 15; The Story of Plastic, March 29; Common Ground, April 12; Food, Inc. 2, May 10; Lakota Nation vs. the United States, May 24; 32 Sounds, June 7; and The Seeds of Vandana Shiva, June 21.

“All of them grab me in a different way,” Michele said. “So I would just encourage folks to come on out and join us and try to see each film, because each of them have their own real-life story that you can connect with. They’re all extremely impactful.”

A Q&A panel featuring community leaders and local authorities — including Michelle herself — will follow each documentary, inviting viewers to dig deeper into the themes portrayed. “I’ve been around each of these hot topics, including plastics and the ocean and hemp as fiber, biofuel and textile,” she said “There’s a lot of information and a lot of layers involved.”

A full list of panelists for each documentary will be posted to the Milwaukee Film website ahead of their screening dates.

After each film and panel, the theater will host a farmers market in its lobby, featuring local artisans, farmers and others offering fresh, organic products for attendees to purchase. Interested vendors can inquire by phone at 414-484-3063 or by email at beyondorganic777@gmail.com.

A special screening on March 1 will also feature a homesteading masterclass with Joel Salatin. A Virginia-based farmer, lecturer and author, Saladin will lead attendees through the basics of canning, preservation and fermentation, gardening, beekeeping and herbal medicine.

“People who know him and admire him and have read his books are going to want to be there,” Michele said, warning that tickets will be “very limited.”

While the series might be new to Milwaukee audiences, the films themselves have long factored into the education arm of Beyond Organic. “We teach urban agriculture to mostly students and youth, and we were trying to capture their attention,” Michele said. “So we started using these clips from documentaries with Jason Momoa, Woody Harrelson and other A-listers.”

That did the trick.

“It was a huge change,” she said. “Everybody had a lot of questions — where before they really didn’t — about ultra-processed food, where our food is grown, who are our farmers and what’s in our soil. People have awoken to what is broken,” she added, invoking the Beyond Organic slogan.

Beyond the scope of the six-month series, Michele said she hopes to inspire further collaboration among existing organizations in the Milwaukee area.

“There are so many different groups out there, and I think this will bring more people together … which is really important,” she said.

Some of those, including Milwaukee Riverkeeper, Social Development Commission, Regenerate MKE, Plastic-Free MKE and others will participate in panels throughout the series.

“It opens a lot of doors, and we’ll see what happens.”

For more information about Let’s Dig In, visit the Milwaukee Film website.