Institute for Agroecology

Film Screening - Stewards of the Land - Serán las dueñas de la tierra

JOIN US for a film screening and panel discussion of Serán las dueñas de la tierra (Stewards of the Land), a documentary film by JuanMa Pagán Teitelbaum.

Register Here

When: Monday, April 15 2024, 7:30pm-10:00pm

Where: 101 Stafford Hall, 95 Carrigan Drive, Burlington VT 05405 or attend virtually from anywhere in Vermont

Synopsis: Before disaster hits, three Puerto Rican farmers give it all to grow food that is healthy for the people and the planet. Nothing can stop them. Almost.

Stephanie, Ian and Alfredo are landless ecological farmers striving to produce healthy food for local consumption in Puerto Rico. In this economically depressed US-territory -highly dependent on food imports and a frequent target for hurricanes– producing food locally is urgent. The documentary shows the protagonists’ grit as they attempt to carve a living without land ownership or capital.

About the Director

JuanMa Pagán Teitelbaum is a documentary filmmaker and ecological farmer. He holds a master's degree in Caribbean Studies from the State University of New York-Buffalo and a wide-ranging experience in the world of cinema, including lighting and sound work, music video cinematography and editing, and work on movies and documentaries. Alongside Mariolga Reyes Cruz, JuanMa has produced over 30 short documentaries on sustainable agriculture in Puerto Rico. His mini-documentary series Harvest Today (Cosecha Hoy) was broadcast on The Puerto Rico Public Broadcasting Corporation and received an Emmy Suncoast nomination. The Stewards of the Land is his first feature-length documentary which showcases the efforts of three Puerto Rican ecological farmers working in the main island of Puerto Rico.

Director Commentary

Puerto Rico is fertile land. I grew up in a land-occupation settlement in Vega Baja, surrounded by all the tropical fruit trees that my family could dream of. Seeing so much abundance and generosity from nature around us, I wondered how was it possible that Puerto Rico imported over 85% of our food? That question has determined my audiovisual work for almost 20 years. In my masters thesis in Caribbean Cultural Studies, I explored the displacement of farm workers from the fields to construction sites across Puerto Rico and the diaspora, as part of the new colonial vision of “development” for Puerto Rico. Later, with Mariolga Reyes Cruz, we produced 30 short documentaries presenting the new generation of ecological farmers as they embodied a counternarrative dignifying our ability and will to grow our own food. Agroecología en Puerto Rico and the SunCoast Emmy-nominated Cosecha Hoy showed farmers as they prepared the soil working with nature to cultivate healthy food for local communities. However, we knew that there was more to the story about the pursuit of food sovereignty in Puerto Rico. Stewards of the Land is our first feature-length documentary. In this film we follow the day to day of three young agroecological farmers as they confront the natural and unnatural challenges of cultivating food sovereignty with grace and dignity.

In-Person Registration and Details

Time: 7:30pm-10:00pm

In-Person Address: 101 Stafford Hall, 95 Carrigan Drive, Burlington VT 05405

Free Parking in the Jeffords Parking Lot, 63 Carrigan Drive, Burlington VT 05405

The film screening will be in Stafford Hall 101, located on the first floor of Stafford in the northwest corner of the building.

There is free parking available after 6pm in the Jeffords Parking Lot (all spaces). There is also metered parking (payment via ParkMobile app) closer to Stafford Hall (off of Carrigan Drive). Carpooling is encouraged whenever possible.

The closest bus stop is the UVM Medical Center, and there are many bike racks outside of Stafford.

Virtual Registration and Details

Time: 7:30pm-10:00pm

Registration is required. Note: the screening and panel discussion are georestricted to Vermont. You must be located in Vermont to watch.