About the film...

Watch video highlights from the
world premiere screening

Director: Jenny Stein
Producer: James LaVeck
Associate Producers: Eric Huang, Kevin Smith

Featuring: Harold Brown, Howard Lyman,
Willow Jeane Lyman, Cayce Mell, Jason Tracy,
Cheri Ezell-Vandersluis and Jim Vandersluis

Musical score: Kevin Bartlett, Joy Askew

Peaceable Kingdom: The Journey Home is a new documentary by the award-winning filmmakers of The Witness. A story of transformation and healing, this groundbreaking new film explores the awakening conscience of several people who grew up in traditional farming culture and who have now come to question the basic premises of their inherited way of life.

Presented through a tapestry of memories, music, and riveting accounts of life-altering moments, the film provides insight into the farmers' sometimes amazing connections with the animals under their care, while also making clear the complex web of social, psychological and economic forces that have led them to their dilemma.

Interwoven with the farmers' stories is the dramatic animal rescue work of a newly-trained humane police officer whose sense of justice puts her at odds with the law she is charged to uphold.

With strikingly honest interviews and rare footage demonstrating the emotional lives and intense family bonds of animals most often viewed as living commodities, Peaceable Kingdom: The Journey Home shatters stereotypical notions of farmers, farm life, and perhaps most surprisingly, farm animals themselves.

Viewer comments...

"Phenomenal film. Life-changing."

"I felt 'whole' after watching the film. It makes connections that I don't encounter in everyday life. It made me feel larger than myself, like I am a part of something bigger."

"Moving and honest."

"Beautiful. Courageous. It has raised my awareness to a whole new level."

"Incredible, amazing, and touching beyond belief."

"This is by far the best film on our modern agricultural system, and an alternative view, that I have ever seen."

"It opened my eyes and made me think.

"We are truly all connected, and this documentary shows this better than anything else out there."

"Very clarifying, morally and ethically."

"Our world needs this message -- it was heartfelt, tragic, hopeful and inspiring. I'm overwhelmed and grateful."

"I wish everyone could see this film."

"This film reminds me to live with heartfelt connections to animals, people and the earth."

Visit the film's official web site
Watch the online trailer

For instant news updates and breaking information about Peaceable Kingdom: The Journey Home, follow Tribe of Heart on Facebook and Twitter:

Event details...

Admission: $10 ($8 for Cinema St. Louis members and students with current & valid ID). Tickets can be purchased in advance at the Tivoli box office from 5-10 p.m. Monday-Friday and 2-10 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. No phone or online sales.

Parking at the Hi-Pointe can be found on the south side of the theatre (behind the pilates studio), in the bank parking lot across the street (but only when bank is closed) and on Clayton Rd.

Post-Screening Reception: $10 suggested donation at the door. Join the Tribe of Heart creative team and film subject Harold Brown for a reception next door to the theater at Par Lounge, featuring delectable treats from VegaDeli (cash bar).

Q&A following film...

Film subject Harold Brown

A fifth-generation farmer from Michigan, Harold Brown worked in animal agriculture for half of his life. In Peaceable Kingdom: The Journey Home, he shares the touching story of how he broke away from the traditions of his upbringing to forge a new way in the world, based on his desire to live in harmony with his most deeply held values. In 2008, Harold founded a charitable organization called Farmkind, “to be a resource for farmers who want to make the transition from animal based to plant based agriculture, for consumers to learn a different perspective on how food is produced, to help those who desire to reconnect with the land and become farmers, to support local food production, environmental and social justice issues, the rights of all living beings to be co-cohabitants of this planet, and how these things have everything to do with creating the peaceful world that all beings desire.”

Filmmakers Jenny Stein and
James LaVeck

The work of documentary filmmakers Jenny Stein and James LaVeck has been recognized by film festival juries and audience members for its uncompromising yet compassionate portrayal of the interplay between what is most troubling in human society with what is most inspiring in human nature. Stein (director) and LaVeck (producer) are co-founders of the Ithaca, New York-based non-profit documentary production organization Tribe of Heart.

For the last ten years, Tribe of Heart films have appeared in 72 festivals around the world and won 15 awards, including 3 for Best of Festival and 11 for Best Documentary. Their work has appeared on PBS, LinkTV, FreeSpeech TV, and the United Kingdom’s Community Channel.

About the festival...

The St. Louis International Film Festival is a not-for-profit organization that emphasizes film as an art form. Its mission is to enhance cultural diversity by bringing American independent productions, horizon-expanding international films and high-quality studio films to audiences before their commercial release. The Festival is especially concerned with providing filmgoers the opportunity to see works that would otherwise never screen in St. Louis.

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