30/5 — 5/6/2024
64th International Film Festival
for Children and Youth
29. 8. 2021

Mark Verkerk about THE SCHOOL GARDEN: “Happily digging their hands into the soil”

In his documentaries, Mark Verkerk often deals with nature that is very close to our homes. Films such as THE NEW WILDERNESS and THE WILD CITY have intensively toured the young audience festivals. But in his latest film, THE SCHOOL GARDEN, children even get an active role to play. In school gardens in Amsterdam, children take care of beds full of vegetables and crops; it’s the beating heart of a larger social movement.

In addition to being a surprising habitat for all kinds of wildlife, these school gardens also tend to bring out the best in children. Anyone who has seen THE SCHOOL GARDEN will immediately feel the urge to start working in the garden or sinking their teeth into a fresh carrot. More than about making films, this conversation with Mark Verkerk is about gardening, vegetables, and the animals that live surprisingly close to the city centre.

Film screening during the 61st ZLÍN FILM FESTIVAL:

MON | 13.09 | 09:10 | GOLDEN APPLE CINEMA, projection hall 3

Details of the projection can be found here.

 

School gardens were established about 100 years ago. Was the need for green urban oases different back then than it is now?

Mark Verkerk: 100 years ago, many poor children in Amsterdam had malnutrition problems, and few chances to escape from the hectic, polluted city life. School gardens were intended to help solve both problems. Today the city is a much nicer and healthier place to live, yet many children miss direct contact with nature and the origins of healthy food. It is remarkable to realize that today’s needs are in many ways just as important as they were back then.

 

The film shows children getting extremely excited by the simple sensation of digging their hands into the ground.

Verkerk: All too often it is presumed that children only want to sit in front of a computer screen. But if you’ll offer them the chance, they will be just as happy digging their hands into the soil. Providing direct contact with nature is one of the main tasks of school gardens, a role they fulfil with flair.

 

THE SCHOOL GARDEN is nothing like traditional school TV.

Verkerk: We decided not to tell the story through a traditional voice-over, but to follow the children in their activities throughout a whole year, as if walking by their side. The audience is drawn into their experiences as they live them.

 

There is an enormous diversity of animals in those vegetable gardens; from a lobster and a kingfisher to even foxes and grass snakes. Did you guys cheat a bit?

Verkerk: All these animals can actually be spotted in school gardens. Some gardens are connected to water, which explains the presence of kingfishers and grass snakes. In others you’ll find plenty of rabbits, hedgehogs, and foxes. My broad experience with nature documentaries came in very handy. During a standard school session, children don’t often notice these specimens; therefore you need to look just a little bit closer. With our cameras, we made them more aware of their environment and of nature’s richness. In fact, all 13 school gardens in Amsterdam are important nature reserves.

 

We witness some very exclusive moments: the hatching of snakes, a fox parading in front of the camera, digging up a mole cricket, … Which one was the most special moment for you?

Verkerk: Isn’t it remarkable that, after such a long time, the grass snake has returned to Amsterdam? Its numbers are growing. This specimen is extremely shy, but with the help of urban ecologist Geert Timmermans we were able to capture it well. As humans, we lend those grass snakes a hand by building compost heaps where female snakes go to lay their eggs.

 

The film mainly explains the concept of school gardens, not so much about the children working in it.

Verkerk: Initially we thought it could be nice to have the camera following a group of children, but later on we understood that the school garden phenomenon, and the effect it has on children on a universal scale, is what this movie really is about. We made one exception: we went home with the kids to watch them prepare the crops, underlining how these gardens have an impact on the wider community. Children often come home with bags full of home-grown vegetables, but parents don't know what to do with them. An added value of school gardening is to involve parents in the children’s enthusiasm to bring vegetables to the table more often. Healthy nutrition is the basis of our fight against obesity. We might no longer live under the constant threat of food shortages, but that doesn’t mean that all children have a healthy eating pattern. Due to the great diversity of children in Amsterdam’s schools, enjoying freshly harvested vegetables together on the spot has become a way to share different food cultures.

 

Even with every child taking care of their own patch, the work feels like a kind of group thing.

Verkerk: Often, to the surprise of the teachers, school gardens seem to motivate children to help each other, which is a lovely side effect. The garden thus becomes a social motive for shared experiences.

 

The film makes you want to go into your own garden with a spade and rake immediately after watching it.

Verkerk: That would be absolutely great. Even if you don’t have a garden, you can start on a balcony or windowsill. We all benefit from getting closer to nature and to the origins of our food. 

 

Thanks to our Belgian co-worker Gert Hermans for the interview.

 

 

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