Young Blood Productions, LLC
Present:
The Graceful
Descent
Production Notes
A film by Katie Young
58 minutes, 20 seconds
Producer Contact:
[email protected]
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THE GRACEFUL DESCENT – PRODUCTION NOTES

Synopsis – page 3

Long Synopsis – page 4

Sound Bites and Subjects – page 5

Reviews – page 6

About the Filmmakers – page 8

Credits – page 9
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SYNOPSIS
In The Graceful Descent, American filmmaker and journalist, Katie Young, sets off on a
journey to define the broadly used term: “sustainability.” After leaving her job to work on an
organic farm, in order to learn about sustainable food production, she decides to take her
journey one step further and travel to New Zealand. When she arrives, she sees the
country's reputation of being “clean and green” is not what she imagined. After some bumps
in her journey, she eventually discovers Permaculture. This movement not only defines
sustainability, but offers the planet a cleaner and greener future.
Featuring interviews with such experts as Peter Proctor (“Father of Modern
Biodynamics”), Jon Field (General Secretary of the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand),
Bridgett Allan (Director of Funding, Planning & Public Health for the Hutt Valley District Health
Board), Rick Thorpe (Director of Xtreme Waste, in Raglan), John Blythe (The Flying Fox),
along with forward thinking Permaculture activists like Finn Mackesy; The Graceful Descent
reveals that sustainability focuses more on the resilience of communities and combining old
practices for living in our modern world.
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LONG SYNOPSIS
What does sustainability actually mean? With more television ads and products
appearing in our daily lives, offering a “green” or sustainable option, this term has taken on a
life of its own, with an ever-changing definition.
In The Graceful Descent, writer-director Katie Young leaves the status quo, and her
home country, to take us to New Zealand. There, she investigates the actual definition of
sustainability and illustrates the three components of Permaculture: Earth Care, People Care
and Fair Share -- while also offering practical examples of how anyone can incorporate this
movement into their daily lives. With the use of animation, compelling interviews, and a wry
sense of humor, the filmmaker immerses herself in this journey for an answer, and reveals
that what most people think of as sustainable is normally just a marketing slogan. By living
and working with Permaculture activists, Katie discovers this is where a sustainable world
lies.
Earth Care is displayed at the Flying Fox on the Whanganui River. This destination is
owned by John Blythe and Annette Main and offers retreat accommodation to visitors. Since
this retreat is isolated by the Whanganui River, the owners of the Flying Fox are left with no
other option but to work in harmony with the land and preserve this pristine property. John
gives an extensive tour showing their earth building technique (using pumice), organic
gardens, and their greywater and composting systems.
People Care is highlighted at Awhi Farm in Turangi. The footage was taken while Awhi
was in its beginning stages. Since then, it has grown and now offers courses on the property.
Lisa Isherwood, a Maori woman whose major goal is to bridge the connection between her
people and the soil, is the visionary at Awhi. Workers there use Permaculture growing and
building techniques to transform the property into a learning center for children. Lisa employs
local Maori teens to work the land and, in the process, learn about their own potential through
Permaculture practices.
Fair Share is brought to life at Xtreme Waste In Raglan -- a nationally recognized
recycling center that managed a 75 percent diversion from landfill rate in 2010. Rick Thorpe, a
well-known Permaculture practitioner in his community, is the director at Xtreme. He gives
viewers a tour of the recycling center and offers a living example of Fair Share: where a
community is not only cleaning up its ecosystems, but sharing the abundance and
responsibility of keeping Raglan beautiful and clean.
The Graceful Descent reveals that sustainability is found through Permaculture, where
old methods of living are combined with the science and knowledge of our modern world. It's
a film reminding viewers that caring about the environment doesn't always have to be a major
sacrifice of our modern conveniences, while also bringing Permaculture to a more
mainstream audience.
“Though the problems of the world are increasingly complex,
the solutions remain embarrassingly simple.”
— Bill Mollison
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SOUND BITES AND SUBJECTS
The voices of The Graceful Descent are farmers, activists, government
representatives, and food advocates; all of whom helped a clueless American define
sustainability and learn about Permaculture. Here are some samples of key quotes from the
film and information about these characters:
“My mom and dad used to know how to have a good garden and all their
contemporaries also, but that's gradually (after thirty, forty years) is lost and people
now go to supermarket. It's much quicker. But, now people are noticing the food at the
supermarket is not quite what it used to be or isn't quite so nice. But, we can grow our
own.”
“So it's good for people and that's basically what we aim to have in the food, because
that then makes them think properly and make good decisions and moral judgments.”
--Peter Proctor, “Father of Modern Biodynamics”
“I think the guests that come here are going to our Web site to find something a little
different. The fact that you have to take a cable car over to us -- our remoteness is
something that is appealing to them.”
“We figure that being environmentally responsible is more than just changing into
those long life light bulbs.”
“We know that our place from the ground up is sustainably built and as low impact in
terms of our eco footprint that we could possibly make it.”
– John Blythe, The Flying Fox
“Waste only, really is buried between your ears”
“When we first started, people were a little apprehensive, they were little confused. It
was a new behavior, so some people supported it, some people didn't. When we
brought in the prepaid bag, which then you pay for every bag that you fill, then there
was an economic incentive for people to recycle.”
“In this community people sort their recyclables or sort their products or resources
and provide them to us.”
--Rick Thorpe, Xtreme Waste
“What I gather Permaculture is all about is preservation of energy in all its forms. A
way of thinking first and then acting that means that if it's repeated forever, the
resources will go on forever.”
--Linden Moyle, WWOOFing host
“We're also producing heaps of waste which is resource, really rich resource.”
“There's nothing quite like a child having food from source for the first time. It's a
magical moment. Their whole being comes to life.”
--Finn Mackesy, Permaculture activist
Our lives have become so bland because we can just get everything we want anytime
from the supermarket and it's not of a particularly good quality. But if you eat
seasonally, when that food is abundant, that's when it's at its peak.”
--Liz Stanway, Permaculture practitioner
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REVIEWS
How many times have you watched a documentary that painfully examined a problem facing modern
society, but provided no hope or solutions? "The Graceful Descent" is not that type of film.
Producer/Director Katie Young's debut film is a fantastic mix of well researched, carefully crafted
information about the dangers of our modern way of life along with a very simple list of things the
average person can do to make a difference.
The film follows Katie's journey through the world of WWOOFing (look it up!) on organic farms in
New Zealand, and features commentary from some of the world's most renowned thinkers in the area of
sustainability. But this trip is not a painful, belabored drudgery. Instead, we see American girl Katie
struggle to adapt to living in a very rugged way, complete with restroom facilities that are, well, also
rugged. But in the end, Katie tells us, we need not abandon our modern conveniences if we are willing
to make some small changes to keep our planet safe.
Winner of the Award for Excellence in the International Film Festival for Environment, Health, and
Culture, "The Graceful Descent" warns us that like the Mayans and the Romans before us, we stand on
the brink of a world that may soon be unable to support us. And it is a clarion call to the average
person, offering simple life changes that could have a dramatic, collective effect on staving off the
potentially impending global disaster. Done with wit and charm and grace, if "The Graceful Descent"
is a swan song for us, at least we know that Katie Young did not fiddle while Rome burned. A must see
film for anyone who cares about the Earth.
--Phil Hoffman, Ed.D.Multiple Emmy Award winning documentary filmmaker
Katie takes on a whole new approach to the eco-documentary genre. Rather than simply delivering the
"tough" realities of our current environmental situation, wherein the audience is often left with a
feeling of hopelessness, the film serves to put change within reach, offering impactful solutions, and
framing alternative living as truly accessible.
--Jeremy Dellarosa
The Graceful Descent is an amusing and thought provoking journey into the world of sustainable
agriculture. Following Katie Young's journey to New Zealand, this documentary explores the difficult
subject of Permaculture and presents it in an approachable, insightful, and funny way.
Throughout the film, we experience first-hand the latest eco-friendly ideas and the obstacles that must
be overcome toward implementing them. What makes this film special is Ms. Young's curious and
satirical point of view. Her journalistic expertise is exceptional, delving into her interviews without
taking the spotlight and letting her subjects tell the story. What makes it better is that it's a story the
average american can understand. Without any gloss or eco chic, she takes us full steam ahead into the
pig poop and dirt digging sweat that is a part of organic farming.
Offering solutions as well as pointing out the problems, The Graceful Descent grabs us and draws us in
as participants. It's a videographic journey that takes us back down to earth, helps us reconnect with
the land that feeds us, opens our eyes to a simpler lifestyle, and leaves us with a feeling that we can
make a difference, no matter how small, in making the world a cleaner and healthier place to live.
--Jeff Ingram/Producer, “Who's Your Mama?” Earth Day and Environmental Film Festival
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The Graceful Descent was an informative and entertaining movie. Rather than lecturing viewers about
how poorly we treat the environment, The Graceful Descent focuses on solutions. I enjoyed watching
Katie as she explored environmentally friendly ways of living because it showed real-life examples.
--Ellen Stewart
The Graceful Descent is an accessible, fun, and educational film that will inspire many. The director
takes viewers to New Zealand on her personal quest to find more restorative ways of living with/in the
Earth. The result is a 20-something's conscious learning experience abroad wherein viewers get to
vicariously WWOOF, meet a variety of interesting people, explore a range of sustainable practices, and
learn through the director's questioning and realizations.
Along the way, the film introduces viewers to the concepts of Permaculture. The film is especially
strong at reaching students who might otherwise not have deeply considered issues of sustainability
and provides clear take away direction that all viewers can integrate into their ways of living -- daily
practices that go beyond changing to the proverbial fluorescent lightbulb. Even as a university
professor focused on researching and teaching ecocultural issues, the film gave me plenty of food for
thought and tools for action. Highly recommended.
--Tema Milstein, Associate Professor & PhD Program Director, Department of Communication &
Journalism, University of New Mexico
I really enjoyed your documentary The Graceful Decent and how you approached the idea of
sustainability. From early in the film when you talk about how we move from box to box just to end up
sleeping in a box was a great introduction and powerful way to start your film, and even more so how
you broke out of that cycle. I was unaware what WWOOF’ing was until I saw your film and thought it
was very inspiring and something I will be looking into in the near future. Also it was a great way to
find the answers to the questions you left looking for. From the earth ship to the recycling center, you
covered all the bases and for people looking for the same question: what is sustainability? Your
documentary is an awesome guide to sustainability with a combination of different ways that we can
lower our impact.
I will definitely be recommending your documentary to my friends and family. Also I appreciated
the time you spent with our class. I think that your approach to finding out what sustainability is, was
very creative and held more meaning by going out and immersing yourself in the culture of it.
--Robby Medeiros
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ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
Katie Young (writer/director/cinematographer)
Journalist and first-time filmmaker, Katie Young, worked for more than four years to
bring The Graceful Descent to the screen. She's an organic gardener, food activist, and the
visionary of Young Blood Productions, LLC.
Before becoming a filmmaker, Katie attended The University of Akron where she
earned a B.A. in Mass Media Communications. She was then hired as a reporter at WAKR in
Akron, while also doing freelance work for local and national publications. Her interests in
sustainability later led her to the organic garden at Snake Hill Farm. Before traveling across
the globe to make her film, Katie educated herself in sustainability and signed onto WWOOF
(World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) in New Zealand where she lived and worked
with her WWOOF hosts. Learn more about Katie and her film:
www.thegracefuldescentmovie.com.
Rob Netherton (editor/animator/tech specialist)
Data-base guru, programmer, artist, and supportive husband to Katie Young, Rob is
blessed with artistic talent and the analytical skills to see any project through. He made the
animation for The Graceful Descent, took on the editing, developed the film's website, and
designed the cover art. Rob is a graduate of The University of Akron where he earned a B.S.
in Computer Science.
About Young Blood Productions, LLC
The brainchild of Katie Young, this company was started in a living room in Akron, Ohio.
Although new to the independent film arena, Young Blood hopes to maintain a reputation of
producing unconventional films that bring environmental, social, and political issues to a wide
audience.
Artists' statement
The motivation behind The Graceful Descent was a combination of frustration, wanderlust,
and a quarter-life crisis. Fulfillment in my career had eluded me and I couldn't see a future for
myself in the mainstream media, so I quit my job and became a full-time farmhand on an
organic farm. After one season in the garden, it was time to combine my passions of writing
and sustainable food production: so began my journey to New Zealand.
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CREDITS
Written and Directed by
Katie Young
A
Young Blood Productions, LLC
Film
Editors
Katie Young
Rob Netherton
Produced by
Katie Young
Camera
Katie Young
Rob Netherton
Graphics and Animation
Rob Netherton
Researchers
Heather Bobnar
Katie Young
A Very Special Thanks
Dr. Phil Hoffman
Special Thanks
WWOOF NZ
Dr. James Lynn
Ed Esposito
Ron Ponder
Cindy Netherton
Bob Netherton
Karen Patterson
Donna Young
Savery Rorimer
David Cohen
Shelley Blundell
Tina Heiberg
Adam Laliberte
Heather Bobnar
My wonderful, loving,
and supportive parents
All of my New Zealand hosts who opened their hearts and their homes
Everyone who graciously let me shove a camera in their face
And, most of all, thank you to everyone who donated to this film.
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Without your support, none of this
would have been possible.
Photos / Footage Sources
The Gubb Family
US Archives
WWOOF NZ
www.permacultureprinciples.com
www.holmgren.com
Permaculture Flower and Ethics images
Trish Allen
Bill Mollison and David Holmgren photo
Nick Violi
Joel Salatin photo
U.S. Federal Civil Defense Administration
Operation Cue (1955)
Public Domain
C-SPAN
Fox Television v. FCC
http://www.youtube.com
/watch?v=QdCsup3zqyA
Creative Commons Attribution License
http://www.youtube.com
/t/creative_commons
Music
“Hot Saki”
Composed by Jarno Huhtanen
Published by Prolific 1 Publishing Ascap
Courtesy of Royaltyfreemusiclibrary.com
“Tree No Leaves - Hallows - Re-Mix”
Composed by Andrew Burg
Courtesy of Andrew Burg
“Goobers Day Off”
Composed by Christopher Pennington
Published by Prolific 1 Publishing Ascap
Courtesy of Royaltyfreemusiclibrary.com
“Showtime Shenanigans”
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Composed by Ron Granger
Published by Prolific 1 Publishing Ascap
Courtesy of Royaltyfreemusiclibrary.com
“Simple Smiles”
Composed by Christopher Ball
Published by Prolific 1 Publishing Ascap
Courtesy of Royaltyfreemusiclibrary.com
“Million Miles”
Vocals by Dizraeli, Cate Ferris
Cuts by DJ Downlow
Bass - Belle Ehresmann
Viola - Jules Arthur
Drums - Paul Gregory
Guitar - Lee Westwood
Produced by John Hendicott
Recorded at Brighton Electric
Courtesy of Dizraeli
thegracefuldescentmovie.com
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