Quiet Revolution

2016. TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO. 14’45”. DOCUMENTARY

‘Quiet Revolution’ follows a group of everyday heroes who aim to give voice to permaculture (“the quiet revolution”) in Trinidad and Tobago (T&T).

Erle “the crazy runner” is a farmer, an adventure racer and barefoot ultra marathoner, and now a major advocate for Permaculture in T&T. He was raised in non-farming African and Canadian urban settings, with no prior knowledge of the Caribbean landscape.  Armed only with an old photocopy of a permaculture (“permanent agriculture/ culture”) manual, Erle set out to regenerate the land. Against a land history of fire damage, herbicide and pesticide use, his permaculture farm, Wa Samaki Ecosystems, is a hub for ecological farming and learning. 

‘Quiet Revolution’ is a portrait of the community at Wa Samaki and their lifelong efforts to learn and practice permaculture amidst the dominant culture of conventional agriculture. The film is timely in that it was completed days before the passing of permaculture founder, Bill Mollison, whose wisdom punctuates the film.