Ben & bEartha: A Community's Compost Love Story (FUNDED!)
A 40-minute documentary about a compost nerd, a group of compost heroes, and a machine that's about to revolutionise regional composting.
About
This film is now available to download from Vimeo! You can also purchase a screening licence and share it with your community. Find out more here.
About the film
Why this film?
Right now, governments are making decisions about the future of food waste. Generally the proposed solutions tend to be large-scale, centralised, and wasteful in themselves. We feel passionate about empowering communities to provide these solutions instead, in a way that values compost as a precious resource, creates and strengthens social connections, provides meaningful work, and operates within a circular economy model.
This film explores these solutions and highlight the wide-ranging benefits to communities, in order to contribute to the discussion on how we tackle food waste globally.
What's the story?
– Ben Bushell, Community Compost
The story follows the highs and lows for Ben and his team as they develop and install bEartha, a composting machine that they hope will provide a replicable model for communities. Woven throughout this journey is the story of the Compost Club, a small-scale, volunteer-based composting initiative, and the development of a small urban farm alongside.
We also explore:
* what it's taken to set up a community composting space and a food waste collection scheme,
* the development from scratch, with lots of trial and error, of a large-scale composting machine,
* the challenges in obtaining funding,
* why community composting education and facilities are so important,
* What makes Ben tick! Why he’s so passionate about this project, what drives him, and how he’s supported by family and community (spoiler alert: he’s the sweetest guy!).
Production & budget deets
Filming was undertake from June 2022 to May 2023 because we followed the process of bEartha's installation. We were editing from soon after filming began, so it was an unusual process for us in this case – we loved it!
Budget
Production – director, producer, writers, sound recordist: $26,358 NZD.
Post-production – transcription services, editor, colourist, royalty-free music, sound mixer, post-production management, poster art: $16,677 NZD.
Production overheads – travel, food, insurance, gear hire, contingency: $2,010 NZD.
Total: $45,145
Location
Whakatū Nelson, Aotearoa New Zealand.
Release
A premiere was held in Whakatū Nelson on 27 May. Since then the film has been available as a private download via Vimeo or for public screening with a license. In late 2023 it will be uploaded to the Happen Films YouTube channel and website for viewing free to all.
Contribute
Become a financial contributor.
Financial Contributions
Make a one-time contribution of the amount of your choice to the production costs of this film. This option doesn't have a reward connected to it ... Read more
$45,144.23 NZD of $45,144.23 NZD raised (100%)
Ben & bEartha: A Community's Compost Love Story (FUNDED!) is all of us
Our contributors 152
Thank you for supporting Ben & bEartha: A Community's Compost Love Story (FUNDED!).
Happen Funds
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$37,500 NZD
Eth Fish
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$2,290 NZD
Quatro Trust
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$1,000 NZD
Karen
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$500 NZD
David Appleby
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$500 NZD
Anna Urwin
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$500 NZD
Guest
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$500 NZD
Annette
Private Compost Club Consul...
$250 NZD
barbtim
Private Compost Club Consul...
$250 NZD
Jessica Petersen
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$200 NZD
Sandra_Watson...
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$180 NZD
Lee Munnerley
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$150 NZD
Budget
Transparent and open finances.
Credit from Nelson Tasman Maps & Guides to Ben & bEartha: A Community's Compost Love Story (FUNDED!) •
--.-- NZD
$47,535.91 NZD
$47,535.91 NZD
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News from Ben & bEartha: A Community's Compost Love Story (FUNDED!)
Updates on our activities and progress.
Ben & bEartha (previously titled The Compost Solution)