Growing Trust

Maine has drastically cut back its food stamp support for recent immigrants and refugees who have resettled in the state. In Lewiston, a small group of Somali Bantus is struggling to find leasable farm land in order to extend the life of their food stamps. Growing Trust is a short documentary that explores the Bantu’s new relationship with retired pumpkin farmers who have agreed to rent out their land. The film details the struggle and the possibility of this newfound relationship between people who have lived and farmed in Maine their whole lives with recent immigrants with their own knowledge of farming from Somali. I directed and shot the film and it was produced with Maple Razsa and Catherine Besteman.