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Sweet Home Monteverde

How far would you go for your beliefs? This film traces the spiritual and geographical journey of an intrepid group of Americans who leave the US in 1950 in search of a life of pacifism. They found it in a remote cloud forest in Costa Rica, a country that had just abolished its army. The documentary explores issues of peace and justice, cultural integration, and the climate change crisis that we face today.

The film follows nine Quaker families from rural Fairhope, Alabama to the Costa Rica mountaintop village they named Monteverde. It addresses their pioneering work on environmental protection and ecotourism, their early clarion calls to fight climate change, and the legacy of their values and activism as passed down to succeeding generations.

Director/Editor Robin Truesdale has won numerous awards for her video and documentary work (including a regional Emmy) and specializes in stories that celebrate diversity, peace, and the wisdom of elders.

Producer Bill Adler lived in Monteverde from 2012-15 and co-founded and served as news director of its community radio station. He began work on this film while he lived there.

  • Robin Truesdale
    Director
    Cuba's Forgotten Jewels, A Beautiful Equation, Conviction, Tumbuka Bloom
  • William Adler
    Producer
    N/A
  • Andrew Ackerman
    Cinematographer
    Chasing Coral, The Busboy
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    56 minutes 46 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 31, 2020
  • Production Budget:
    68,500 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    Costa Rica, United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    HD 1080 24p
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Robin Truesdale

ROBIN TRUESDALE is a documentary filmmaker and the founder of Two Hands Films. She has directed, produced, and edited films that have screened at festivals and conferences worldwide, including "Cuba's Forgotten Jewels: A Haven in Havana", which has screened internationally and received the Impact Docs Award of Merit. Her directorial debut "A Beautiful Equation: Einstein, Bohr and Grandmothers" is a 2015 Platinum Remi Award winner. Robin began her career as a news editor for a Denver television station. After years of constructing news and educational stories through video, she was introduced to documentary film’s powerful potential to communicate deeper stories about people, cultures, and issues of the times. Her work deals primarily with social justice, cultural, and humanitarian issues. Robin received her MS Degree in Journalism from the University of Colorado.

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Director Statement

ROBIN: I’m drawn to personal stories, attracted to the faces and voices that share experiences of fear, doubt, surprise, and joy. As both a journalist and a visual artist, my aim is to illuminate stories that are unique and individual, yet also remind us of our commonalities. People circulate around each other’s stories daily, sometimes taking notice for an instant and then moving on, sometimes even turning away. Documentary filmmaking is a way to preserve moments in history – a significant event, a sparkle in someone’s eye, or a leap of faith. Film gives people the chance to look more closely into the lives of others from different backgrounds and lifestyles. More than a form of communication, it offers a pathway to experience and understanding.