Screenings

2011 -  Strolling of the Heifers Film Festival
Won 2nd prize as part of the larger overall festival, in Brattleboro, Vermont! Thank you to the festival organizers for the opportunity to screen the film.

2010 - DOC NOW
A festival showcasing thesis work from the graduating students of the Documentary Media (MFA) program at Ryerson University.

Timeline

  • 2010 - The farm is officially sold; the doc s completed
  • 2012 - The barn is demolished
  • 2016 - The family homestead is demolished
  • 2017 - Development of the land continues (homes to come)

Saving My Family Farm

2010, documentary short film
30 mins

In 2010, I completed a documentary film focusing on the sale of my family’s farm in Whitby Ontario. The farm has been in my family for six generations.

Home movies and new footage are woven with interviews as family members reflect on the sale of the farm, revealing personal memories and thoughts but also discussing the bigger picture as this event continues the trend of changing landscapes in Durham Region--farmland into suburban sprawl. While the physical farm cannot be saved, its legacy can live on through this film, and the personal family archive.

The project lives on - please visit the blog for posts under "Family Farm".

Synopsis

Saving My Family Farm is a personal documentary focusing on the sale of filmmaker Kathleen Mackey’s family’s farm in Whitby, Ontario. The farm was in her family for six generations, and while urban growth in the area was a major factor in the decision to sell the farm, family dynamics played an equally significant role. Its sale in 2010 spurred explorations into the disappearance of family farms in Ontario, gender issues and the preservation of the farm through documentary and family archives, such as photographs, home videos, and a Mackey Family History book.

Watch the film here: