Food for Tomorrow - Thailand

AlterEgo partnered with the teams at Disney, Nat Geo CreativeWorks, National Geographic Society, and PepsiCo along with their local partners Practical Farmers of Iowa in the United States, GIZ in Thailand, and Milhão in Brazil to develop a 3-part global docuseries exploring the power of regenerative agriculture.

Our Nat Geo Photographer and host, Rena Effendi, had a mantra that resonated. “I am a photographer first and a woman second.” An award-winning filmmaker, writer and social documentarian, Rena provided a bespoke lens in which we captured the stories of three wildly different farmers fighting to evolve their farms in the face of escalating climate change. All three farmers just so happened to be farmers first …and women as well.

For the first film we traveled half way across the globe to Northern Thailand where small holder farmer Miss Wisa stole our hearts. She wrapped us up in her hospitality and showed us the true meaning of resilience. One of three daughters raised on a farm by her mother and grandmother after her parent’s separation, she never passed up an opportunity to learn new skills. Now a trailblazer in her community, Atthawit from GIZ summed it up best when he shared with us a story from their first meeting -even when her farm was struggling with the effects of climate change - she generously shared with him her decades deep knowledge and quickly became a willing mentor.  

We left Thailand with a richer understanding of the impact investments in small holder farmer training makes on both the local farmers and the planet.

As a Director who grew up in a very small town, I saw each of these brand films as intimate vintage pieces … like a time capsule celebrating all that is good about rural life. And so we lensed our cameras to match the vibe with a set of 1977 Leica R Summicrons. Leaning into our cinematic style documentary roots we wanted to show early mornings in the kitchen, hard labor throughout the day, the joy of new life, the endless planning and pivoting, and sometimes, a successful harvest to celebrate. That made the choice to tag in our nimble RED Komodo mounted to a sleek low-impact RS4 handheld gimbal an easy one. Filming at the edges of light made for long days but those hazy dew dropped mornings and blazing summer sunsets are where the magic happens.

I cannot stress enough how important it is for us to seek out and support these types of farmers and the companies who support their strength. The future of food, the future of agriculture, the future of these families depend on it. 

khàawp khun khâ to our amazing on cam talent, clients, and crew