Kevin O’Keefe
Documentary, Canada
Runtime 47 min.
On a November morning in 2006, 20 armed officers raided a small farm two hours north of Toronto. They were not looking for drugs or guns. They were there for the milk. Dairy farmer Michael Schmidt found himself facing multiple charges. The offence: selling unpasteurized milk, a practice outlawed in Canada since 1991.
Born and raised in postwar Germany, Michael Schmidt has long nursed a suspicion of authority and a belief in standing up for basic principles. On his Durham, Ontario farm, he practices a rigorous organic method known as biodynamic agriculture. And since the early 1990s, he has been catering to an enthusiastic clientele who swear by the superior taste and health benefits of the raw milk he produces. Through a co-operative venture called “cow-sharing,” Schmidt sells shares in each of his cows to individual owners, who take their dividends in the form of milk.
This original ichannel documentary, tells the story of one man’s battle with government authorities over raw milk – a fight that Schmidt insists is really about the fundamental right “to eat what we want.” The film was written and directed by award-winning journalist Kevin O’Keefe, and produced by Declan O’Driscoll. Gemini Award-winning actor Colm Feore narrates.
Screening Sunday, November 13 at 1pm in the Al Whittle Theatre with the film Planeat