Cabbage, Potatoes and Other Demons. Ten Years Later, the follow-up to Șerban Georgescu's documentary Cabbage, Potatoes and Other Demons is scheduled to be released this week.

The first documentary looked at the efforts of villagers from Lungulețu, a village near Bucharest known for its record cabbage and potato crops, to break the vicious circle of not being able to sell their cabbage production at a profit. The director spent a year in Lungulețu, working the land alongside the other villagers and trying to reap the fruits of his labor in the same way as the other local farmers to understand why they ended up living on debt, even though they had the tools of a successful business: fertile land, modern machinery, and rich harvests.

Ten years later, director Șerban Georgescu returned to Lungulețu to see the changes generated by the team's initial in the perception of the villagers, in the approach of the authorities, or in the way the general public relates to agricultural producers. His return resulted in a sequel that aims to answer several questions: did the villagers overcome their lack of trust in any collective decision or in any leader? Did they manage to associate themselves so their voice could be better heard?

Cabbage, Potatoes and Other Demons was screened at various film festivals (DOK Leipzig, Docu Days UA - Kyiv Milenium International Documentary Film Festival - Brussels, One World Romania, Transylvania International Film Festival), and also at events such as Harvest Day (Slatina, in the presence of over 1000 farmers), the launch of the Decade of Family Farms within the UN FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), as well as in 36 high schools in the country through the One World Romania at School program.

Șerban Georgescu's previous work includes Being Romanian: A Family Journal (Jurnalul familiei -escu), The Case of Engineer Ursu, co-directed with Liviu Tofan, and Our Daily Bread (Pâinea noastră cea de toate zilele), about the artisan bakery MamaPan, a social economy initiative.

Cabbage, Potatoes and Other Demons. Ten Years Later will be available for free viewing via online streaming starting on March 15. More details will be announced soon.

A screening in the presence of the team is scheduled for March 20 at the Romanian Peasant Museum cinema in Bucharest.

Cabbage, Potatoes and Other Demons is currently available on the TIFF Unlimited platform.

(Photos: Kolectiv.ro)

simona@romania-insider.com