Hi, Gary! Thank you for granting this interview and sincere congratulations on your recent award at the Moscow Russia International Film Festival.

You wrote, produced and directed the film ‘Michael Malone, Portrait of an American Organic Farmer’. What should the audience expect to see?
This film gives the audience a peek into the life of Michael Malone, and some of what it takes to be an organic farmer.

Tell us a bit about your background. When did you decide to become a filmmaker?
I’m a photographer/filmmaker and have exhibited in galleries and museums throughout the United States and Europe. My documentary films have been screened at over 120 film festivals. Solo (photography) exhibitions include two at Generous Miracles Gallery (NYC), two at the Griffin Museum of Photography (Winchester, MA), and upcoming exhibitions at PRAXIS Photo Arts Center (Minneapolis), and the Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts (Providence, RI). My work has also been included in juried exhibitions throughout the world. Among Fortune 500 companies who collect my work are Pfizer Pharmaceutical, Goldman Sachs and Chase Bank.

I started becoming interested in video in 2005. I started making little art videos about Coney Island, but most art galleries didn’t want it. The film festivals did though, and I started making longer documentary videos. Finally I made a feature length documentary about the new burlesque movement in NYC called “Dirty Martini and the New Burlesque.”

What are the directors that inspire you the most?
D.A. Pennebaker, Albert Maysles & David Maysles, Alfred Hitchcock

What, in your opinion, is the most important quality of a film director? To be able to portray his/her vision.
What makes a film great for you? Are there certain qualities that make a film better for you? What did you find more challenging in your film? A great film to me is both compelling and entertaining. My challenge with “Michael Malone, Portrait of an Organic Farmer” was working with Michael’s schedule. Many times he wasn’t available because things turned up on the farm that needed to be taken care of immediately.

Michael Malone, Portrait of an American Organic Farmer Movie Poster
When you get angry at a movie, what sets you off? Are there common qualities in cinema today that you dislike? Is there something you try to subvert or avoid or rebel against in your work? I don’t really get angry, but what sets me off is when a film is boring.
What makes a fruitful collaboration? What do you do to enhance the collaborative process? To collaborate with your collaborators, pay attention to their ideas, and treat everyone involved as you would like to be treated.

What advice would you give to someone who wanted to have a life creating film? You have to love it, if you don’t love it, don’t do it. Don’t give up, when there’s a problem, solve it. Be persistant and work hard to achieve your goals.
What role have film festivals played in your life so far? Why are they necessary? How do you get the most out of them? The main thing for me about the festival experience is that I get the opportunity to interact with the audience. When I get a good response from an audience, that for me makes it all worthwhile.
What do audiences want? And is it the filmmaker’s role to worry about that? What’s next for you? I have come to believe that a film has to be entertaining, an audience wants to be entertained. I am currently working on a new film called “Emily’s do.” It’s about a young woman who’s an artist, but not what you might expect. Her art is her hair, makeup and clothing.
Michael Malone, Portrait of an American Organic Farmer Overview

Michael Malone is the proprietor and soul of Hungry Toad Farm located in Centerville, Ohio. In this documentary Michael tells his story and talks about what it takes to be an organic farmer.

Trailer Michael Malone, Portrait of an American Organic Farmer
Gary Beeber – Director Statement

Michael Malone is one of the most interesting characters I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. I have always enjoyed his take on life and many other subjects. He is the proprietor and soul of Hungry Toad Farm in Centerville, Ohio.

Michael talks about what it takes to be an organic farmer, and we learn some of the tricks of the trade. His partner in life and farming, Nancy Kelly is interviewed, and so is Janelle Barbara Wood, farm stalwart and part time librarian.

The interviews were recorded over several months.