documentary Archives - Compassionate Women

Making a Movie in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas

August 11, 2020 by Jillian Leave a Comment

I moved to the Rio Grande Valley of South in Texas in late 2016 because there was just something magical about it and I knew I wanted to film a movie there. I had a dramatic thriller in mind, with a strong female lead and tight-knit plot full of unexpected twists and turns…

Well, I did end up filming a movie in the RGV, but it was nothing like what I originally planned. From 2017-2019, I worked tirelessly on my movie, which ended up being a documentary project on the history of the region. The seed was first planted when a friend who grew up there clued me into the little-known Jewish history of the Valley. He suggested I look into it for myself and the deeper I looked, the more I found.

Thus began a long but rewarding journey that ended with a feature length documentary I directed called Remember My Soul. The film investigates how the Sephardic Jewish diaspora in 1492 set forth the practice of crypto-Judaism in colonial Mexico, and how these invisible Jewish families settled the Rio Grande Valley and contributed to traditions of borderlands culture. In this post, I share how the project came together, what it was like filming in the Valley, and the many photos I took during filming that reveal the marvelous landscapes there.

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Open Sesame: The Story of Seeds

February 20, 2020 by Jillian 1 Comment

Seeds are life. Without seeds, we would not have fruits, vegetables, or grains to eat. We would lack the nutrients we need to survive. Our ancestors depended upon seeds, and we still depend upon them today. A 2014 documentary called Open Sesame explores the story of seeds and our connection to them. I watched the film and decided to share my favorite takeaways from it, and how you can make a difference in sustaining the seeds that sustain us!

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What the Health?

September 2, 2017 by Jillian Leave a Comment

It seems like everyone has been talking about this recent documentary called What the Health. There’s a good amount of controversy surrounding it and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. In a nutshell, it brings to light how the meat and dairy industries are in collusion with the government and big business to control how people eat, even though it’s making people chronically ill and devastating the environment. This is not news to me, so I was definitely interested to see what this plant-based documentary had to say on the topic.

It appears that many of the people that have issues with What the Health do so because of the way the statistics in the film are presented, the comparison that the effects of meat are just as harmful as smoking cigarettes, “gotcha” journalism tactics, the claim that sugar isn’t the cause of diabetes, and the fact that tons of people just plain don’t like vegans because of stereotypes or otherwise. What’s interesting is that most of the negative criticism surrounding the film never touches on the bigger picture. Critics don’t refute or discuss the cruelty to animals presented in the film, the devastation to the environment, or how powerful the government is in influencing what we eat. Instead, people nitpick about the smaller controversies in the film. For me, the bigger picture is way more important to discuss. Although I do have a couple of questions surrounding information presented in the film, I feel open minded about the message of the documentary and I hope it causes other people to open their minds to new possibilities as well.

Here’s some interesting information from What the Health, why I think it matters, and how our food choices affect the planet.

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A Small Good Thing

June 17, 2017 by Jillian Leave a Comment

The documentary A Small Good Thing is named after an award winning short story written by Raymond Carver. At the center of the story is a message of the healing power of community. In the same vein, the documentary centers around 6 people who have chosen to find happiness by focusing on family and community.

The problem with today’s world is that it’s so convenient and we have everything at our fingertips, but that doesn’t equate to happiness. You can’t be truly fulfilled if you don’t have to work for anything. And what are we doing with all that time freed up by so much convenience? Browsing social media and watching Netflix, mostly.

Collectively, we also believe that happiness = success = money. We have a lot of material wealth but we also have the highest rates of mental illness and depression ever recorded. We aren’t happy and we aren’t connected with one another. We feel alienated and alone. Studies show that once a person reaches the $75,000 mark in terms of yearly salary, anything above that makes zero difference in happiness.

The material growth we’ve been pursuing is not reliable and it’s destroying our planet, literally and figuratively. So how can we live in a better way? A Small Good Thing follows 6 people in the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts who are trying to live according to this philosophy. There’s a yoga instructor, dance teacher, college student, produce farmers, and a livestock farmer. What did they discover by simplifying their lives and taking a more holistic approach to happiness? You’ll have to watch it yourself to hear their answers. But here are some interesting and important ideas that I took away from the film…

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10 Reasons Why GMOs Suck

August 14, 2015 by Jillian Leave a Comment

This week has been super crazy for me. I’ve been cooking and baking nonstop for the blog while also juggling outside job opportunities and you know, figuring out the general direction of my life. No big deal. Despite my busy schedule, me and Netflix just have a bond that I can’t ignore. GMO OMG has been on my queue for weeks because well, I knew it was going to be good, and I wanted to give it the full attention it deserved.

It’s a documentary that follows director Jeremy Seifert as he looks for answers to how GMOs affect our health, our planet, and our freedom of choice. It’s fascinating, informative, funny, terrifying, and will really make you think about your food choices. I decided to focus on a few of the facts that I find most interesting from this film, but I highly recommend you watch it for yourself to get the full effect.

Before I begin, what exactly is a GMO (aka genetically modified organism)?

“Organisms in which the genetic material (DNA) has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally. “

-World Health Organization

There’s 2 types of GMOs:

Pesticide Producers kill insects. Example – Monsanto’s BT Corn, where a gene from a naturally occurring bacterium is inserted into the DNA of corn. The modified corn produces a toxin that’s lethal to insects.
Herbicide Resisters are weed killer immune. Example – Roundup Ready Soy, where the DNA is altered with a soil bacterium’s genes to make the plant immune to the weed killer called Roundup. Farmers douse their fields with Roundup to kill every weed and unwanted plant, but even when coated in herbicide, the soy plant remains unharmed.

The European Union first established labeling of GMOs in 1997. Several states in the U.S. have tried to make GMO labeling mandatory in the past, but Monsanto has threatened to sue them or has spent millions of dollars to defeat them. And now the Dark Act has passed, which blocks the USDA from implementing mandatory GMO labeling on foods. That means we as consumers will be in the dark about what’s in our food and how it’s grown.

Here’s 10 more reasons why GMOs suck and what you can do about it…

1. Haiti Knows What’s Up

Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere and suffers from poverty, hunger, and malnutrition. Their devastating 2010 earthquake didn’t help things, and yet when Monsanto offered the country 475 tons of GMO seeds, Haiti said thanks but no thanks. They lovingly refer to Monsanto seeds as “poison.” In one Haitian town that actually accepted some of the seeds, it ruined their crop and cost them money so they stopped using them. Protestors went as far as burning the seeds to show their disgust for Monsanto.