R.T. Thorne
One Earth (OE): 40 Acres explores land, legacy, and resilience. What inspired you to document these stories?
R.T. Thorne (RT): Much of the inspiration of the film comes from my personal upbringing. I was born in the outskirts of Calgary, Alberta. My father worked in the produce supply industry, and so at a very young age, I understood the intimate relationship between people who cared for the land and how the land provided for the community. As the pandemic came about, there were real, felt effects of how fragile our food supply chains and our infrastructure really was. In my community in Toronto, I was not able to get fresh produce at the grocery stores near me for almost two months, and it really made me consider whether I have the knowledge and the skills to actually provide for my family if things were to get really bad. Also being raised in my mothers strict, education focused household had a profound effect on my outlook on the world and placed an importance on historical and cultural knowledge especially as it related to unjust treatment of Indigenous and people of African descent in regards to land rights and property ownership. So all of these things were in my mind as I wrote the script.
(OE): How does the film highlight the connection between environmental stewardship and cultural heritage?
(RT): Well, most post-apocalyptic films are concerned with survival, and in this particular film, given that the POV is from the perspective of a unique blended family of Black and Indigenous characters, their survival is not just about their lives, but is also about the preservation of their culture. And in this film, the family survives by maintaining their culture through a focus from the parents not only on military training but also in understanding history, literature, music, food practices and their languages. These elements play a key role in this family's survival, and are many of the reasons that they are actually thriving in the film because they use ancestral knowledge in their agriculture for instance and have crops that are still growing while others around are struggling.
(OE): What lessons about land ownership and sustainability should future generations take from these stories?
(RT): Honestly I just really hope people have a fun ride in the film, it's a full meal, thrills, chills, and some heart. I guess I hope that it encourages people to look into being prepared and educating oneself to be self-reliant, but to reflect on the importance of community, communication, and forgiveness.
