![REAL DIRT ON FARMER JOHN, THE REAL DIRT ON FARMER JOHN, THE](/storage/film-archive/12273/5820_farmer.jpg)
REAL DIRT ON FARMER JOHN, THE
Maverick Illinois farmer, John Peterson, is an outcast in his community. Amidst a failing economy, depression and accusations of being a drug-dealing cult murderer of children and animals, he persists in attempting to honour his family tradition while mixing it with artistic expression and free speech. Unafraid to ride his tractor while sporting a feather boa and billowing dress, Peterson's story is one of a non-conformist constantly struggling against the odds and an insular society.
As a personal friend of Peterson, filmmaker, Taggart Siegel, chronicles Peterson's personal odyssey over a tumultuous two-decade timeframe, particularly his ventures into organic farming. By marrying footage with Super 8 movies from Peterson's mother, he paints an intimate picture of Peterson's upbringing over a 55-year span, dusting off the family skeletons in the closet and teasing out the psyche of a man who refuses to be constricted by convention.
D Taggart Siegel P Teri Lang S John Peterson WS Film Transit TD video/2005/83mins
Taggart Siegel was born in Idaho, USA, in 1958. His films include Blue Collar & Buddha (1986), Wild Blue Moon (1992) and Shadow of the Pepper Tree (1995).