A sound score drawn from interviews with farming families combines with choreographed dance scenes and documentary footage of farmers to explore the changes in farming over the last 60 years.

From The Soil was screened at the Soil Association conference 2007 and at the prestigious IMZ Dance for Camera festival in 2008.

Produced by Kate Saunders and The Engine Room.
From an idea by Kate Saunders with performances by Adam Benjamin, Rosanna Irvine and newcomer Arran Humphries.
Cinematography by Sven O. Hill and music by Christopher Benstead.

“Loved it. Very evocative and moving.”
Gillian Dale – Dance in Devon

"Jo Parkes' film ‘From the Soil’ is a powerful and elegaic insight into rural, agricultural life in Britain in the 21st century. Jo has managed to convey a timely and important message in a way that is fresh, poignant, tough and unsentimental. What is
particularly successful is the way the film blends so seamlessly the testimonies of farmers living and working in the south west with the dance elements, which are thoughtful, beautifully shot with a strong sense of place and location. The three dancers, who represent the changing dynamics of relationships within a farming family, perform with integrity and skill to convey the subtle shifts between them, set against a backdrop of uncertainty, facing the future with courage and love. Dance for the Camera is a relatively new art form, and ‘From the Soil’ is one of the finest examples of the genre I have yet seen."
Chris Fogg - Take Art