Look & See: A Portrait of Wendell Berry

Friday, June 30 - Tuesday, July 18, 2017

LOOK & SEE is a cinematic portrait of the changing landscapes and shifting values of rural America in the era of industrial agriculture, as seen through the mind’s eye of writer, farmer, and activist, Wendell Berry.

The first documentary about Berry, undoubtedly one of America’s most significant living writers, LOOK & SEE was filmed in and around the rolling hills of Henry County, Kentucky – where Berry has lived and farmed since the mid-1960’s. Filmmaker Laura Dunn skillfully weaves Berry’s poetic and prescient words with gorgeous cinematography and the testimonies of his family and neighbors, all of whom are being deeply affected by the industrial and economic changes to their agrarian way of life.

Often called “a prophet for rural America,” Berry has long been a voice for the communities that are so often overlooked by the media. LOOK & SEE subverts biopic conventions and immerses audiences into Berry’s world, providing a space for talking about the land and those who sustain it.

It’s a conversation that is more urgent now than ever, as we find ourselves in a deeply divided nation where so many Americans are disconnected from the farmers who feed them.

Robert Redford, Terrence Malick, and Nick Offerman served as producers on LOOK & SEE, which, following its award-winning March 2016 premiere at the SXSW Film Festival, was retitled and updated to reflect the conversations that have emerged since the election.

Dunn was awarded the IFC “Truer than Fiction” Independent Spirit Award for her previous film, The Unforseen, which was also executive produced by Redford and Malick. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, and was broadcast on the Sundance Channel.

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.