The Smell Of Money

As a filmmaker, I’m drawn to stories of injustice that seem like they’re from another time, long ago, but happening right now in the United States.

I had heard about Duplin County, North Carolina from the film’s writer and producer, Jamie Berger and seen the dreary headlines “environmental racism”, “pollution”, “people getting sick”, “hog shit being sprayed on people”, “government corruption”, but I struggled to imagine what was actually going on.

A few hundred people that live next to hog farms had joined forces and were suing the world’s biggest pork producer Smithfield Foods – that Smithfield had strong ties with the government and it was highly unlikely the community could win. It seemed like a compelling David vs Goliath story that could highlight and bring to life a very pressing social justice issue: the true cost of the world’s cheap pork.

North Carolina has the highest concentration of factory farms in the country, possibly the world and at the center of it all is Elsie Herring, a granddaughter of a freed slave, fighting for her family's land. Elsie has been standing up to the pork industry for polluting her community, her home, for over three decades when almost no one else would.

I knew going to Duplin County would be emotionally and mentally challenging but I was never prepared for the next 3 years of filming with Elsie and her community. I was often torn apart then filled with compassion and hope, even though Elsie had been through great hardship she would keep fighting year after year. And even though she knew she would never truly win, she would never give up.

Elsie changed me as a filmmaker, as a person. She made me recognize that people must set aside our differences and work together to make the world a better place. We must fight for basic human rights, stand against racism, and fight for the environment at the same time because these issues are systemic.

After 3 years of filming with Elsie, in the spring of 2021 she was suddenly diagnosed with pancreatic cancer-—a disease linked to pollution from hog factory farms. It was a devastating blow to the production and broke me in every way it could. This quote from interviewing Elsie has been on repeat in my head: “What good is an award if you’re living in an environment that’s killing you.”

With the blessing of Elsie’s family and friends we banded together to bring you Elsie and her community's story. It shows the power of ordinary people to change the world in which we live, the heartbreak of losing dear friends and family, and the true cost of what’s on our plate. My ultimate takeaway from working on this film is how to live by Elsie's example and to never stop fighting for a better future. Thank you for bringing the people of Duplin County, North Carolina, to your community. I hope together we can shed light on this crucial issue.