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Movie Blog @ MSPIFF, Day 12: 'In Organic We Trust'

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In Organic We Trust - Teaser #1 from Pasture Pictures on Vimeo.

Have you ever considered what the word organic means when you see it on fruit, vegetables or ice cream cones? Did its meaning, in your mind, seem to be a mash of words like fresh, nutritious, eco-friendly, expensive and hip? If so, In Organic We Trust might be something fresh for you.

Kiplin Pastor, the movie's director, offers you a look at his journey to the center of organic. Although the film is about as flavorful as Styrofoam peanuts, it does offer some insight into that word's convoluted world.

Pastor shows there's not really any evidence to support the popular belief that organic food is more nutritious for you. He also sheds light on the fact that organic is a marketing term -- one that major corporate food companies use to push products. Pastor gets into history, pesticides and government practices. The movie is a learning experience, especially if organic means virtually nothing to you.

But the movie doesn't debunk organic, so don't get the wrong impression. In fact, Pastor starts the film quite open to the benefits of organic farming. He also shows that the philosophy behind the word – that of farming within the soil's means, that of using tools and processes developed by nature – is quite sound and uplifting to farmers that practice it. However, organic is something like religion: its meaning changes depending on who you talk to.

As an added benefit, Pastor will be at tonight's showing, which plays at 9:15 p.m., to talk apples and oranges.

Other Highlights: Monday, April 23

The Moon Is Jewish is a documentary that focuses on Pawel, an orthodox Jew in Poland who wasn't always so orthodox. In fact, he used to be a skinhead. Screens as with Ub Lama (9:10 p.m.)

King For 2 Days captures local drummer Dave King, the foundation for some five bands -- Happy Apple, The Bad Plus, Golden Valley Is Now, Buffalo Collision, and the Dave King Trucking Company -- as they all take over Minneapolis' Walker Art Center. (Learn what being in a band means at 7 p.m.)

And if another food doc is what you crave, Sushi: The Global Catch is about the past, present and future of the sushi industry, and the ecological consequences of the world's growing love of the raw delicacy. (7:30 p.m.)

For the festival schedule, and a complete listing of all the movies being shown, click here. Ticket information is available here.

For more of the WCCO Movie Blog's coverage on the MSPIFF, click here.

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