Cinema Femme Short Film Fest

Cinema Femme Short Film Fest 2023 Spotlight: "Regenerate Ojai": Q&A with filmmaker Rebecca Harrell Tickell

Enter the livestream at any time
Stream began May 1, 2023 11:30 PM UTC
Already unlocked? for access

The fifth-edition of the Cinema Femme Short Film Festival is pleased to present a spotlight screening of the vital and powerful half-hour documentary, "Regenerate Ojai," followed by a Q&A with its co-director Rebecca Harrell Tickell, moderated by Cinema Femme publisher Rebecca Martin Fagerholm. Tickell made her extraordinary film debut in John D. Hancock's 1989 Christmas classic, "Prancer," before earning acclaim for the environmentally conscious documentaries she has made with her husband, Joshua Tickell, including "The Big Fix," "Kiss the Ground" and "The Revolution Generation."


Narrated by Academy Award-winner Laura Dern, "Regenerate Ojai" exposes shocking truths about pesticide exposure in Ojai, a small Southern California town located in the agricultural county of Ventura, California. Drawing from data obtained by EWG from the Ventura Country Agricultural Office, the film shows that in Ventura County over 5.7 million pounds of toxic “Danger and Warning Label” pesticides are sprayed each year. These pesticides are sprayed next to residences and schools as well as near other public areas and pose a significant public health risk. People interviewed in the film recount their experiences after exposure from pesticide drift in Ojai and Ventura including pets dying, cancers, blindness and birth defects. Data from the University of California system shows significant correlations between these pesticides and animal and human epidemiological issues. The film calls for a public pesticide notification system via text (as used by other state and county agencies), for farmers to investigate switching to Organic growing methods, and for schools to use their buying power to buy directly from local and organic and regenerative farmers thus safeguarding the health of students, teachers and staff.


Watch online April 28 - May 4, 2023: https://watch.eventive.org/cinemafemm...


About the festival: https://cinemafemme.com/shortfilmfest


About the filmmaker:



REBECCA HARRELL TICKELL was on the basement floor of a monastery, covered in buckets of goo while giving birth to a giant squid-like baby that was trying to eat her. At that moment, the actress knew she was ready for a career change.


As a young girl, Rebecca had the lead role in the Christmas classic, Prancer, a film that touched many people’s lives. Roger Ebert said in a rave review of Rebecca that she is “a plucky schemer always working an angle.” Today, Rebecca Tickell is a director, producer, and environmental activist. She produced the 2008 Sundance Film Festival Audience award-winning, environmentally themed movie, FUEL, and co-directed/produced The Big Fix, an Official Selection of the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. Rebecca’s 2014 directorial debut (with husband Josh) was the critically acclaimed documentary, Pump, narrated by Jason Bateman. In 2016, Rebecca directed the John Paul DeJoria story, Good Fortune, the recent global Netflix hit, Kiss the Ground, The Earthing Movie, The Revolution Generation with her husband Josh. Earlier this year she debuted her first scripted film about the Standing Rock oil pipeline protest and will premiere her followup film to Kiss the Ground this summer entitled Common Ground, narrated by Laura Dern, Jason Momoa, Ian Somerhalder and Woody Harrelson.


After spending several years investigating and documenting the impact and root cause of the 2010 BP oil spill, Rebecca became ill and was left with permanent damage from exposure to the oil and dispersant in the atmosphere.


Today, Rebecca and Josh live with their two children on their regenerative farm near Santa Barbara. They are committed to lives of optimal health for themselves, their children, and the planet.