With wide open spaces, large acreage and access to varied locations, farms make prime locations for any film shoot, from classics such as 1940’s Grapes of Wrath to the “cornfield drone chase” in Christopher Nolan’s 2014 sci-fi epic, Interstellar.
Farmer filmmakers Kari Lee Anderson and Joshua Thomas, owners of the Thomas Flower Farm in Aptos, carry on the tradition with their Thomas Farm Films summer camp, an interactive camp for kids ages 5-18 which has premiered the kids’ films in various festivals all over the world, including the LA Shorts International Film Festival.
“When we started this we didn’t know where it was going and we ended up scoring the films with a professional composer, so the production level kept increasing, and we submitted several of our kid films from our camp to festivals across the world just to see what would happen, and they’ve screened all over now,” Anderson says.
Anderson and Thomas have been making movies with kids on their farm since 2019 and into the height of the Covid-19 lockdown, when Thomas, who had gone back to film school to receive his master’s degree, had their four kids act in his class films, setting in motion what would become Thomas Farm Films. Students come to the farm during four separate weeks of filmmaking fun, and the films premiere at a local theater.
“We had the farm, and several years back, I had my BA in cinema but I decided to get my MFA in cinema because agriculture can be a fickle business: I figured, I get the MFA, then I’ll be able to teach. And as I was getting the MFA there were many projects I had to make in different classes. And I was looking for actors, and I realized I had these four kids, and all of them love to act, so I would often use them as the actors in these movies. So that’s where the inspiration for the film camp came from,” Thomas says.
Not only does Thomas Farm Films provide opportunities for kids to learn about filmmaking on the farm, but it also provides opportunities for film students to get paid work and training as production assistants.
“We involve older kids in the community; we have a PA [production assistant] in the training program, where if you’re at least 15 you can come for a week of five-hour days to train to become a production assistant. When they’re old enough they can come back and get a paid job, herding the kids and keeping everyone safe as well as costume, sound and production design,” Anderson explains.
Premiering at the Rio Theater on Feb. 22 with a matinee and an evening show, the films this year include “Plumber Landlubber,” a Goonies-inspired pirate film; “The Forgotten Experiments,” with the tagline “It ain’t over till President Nixon says it’s over”; and “Jericho’s Missing,” a mystery featuring the kids as middle-aged adults at a 30-year camp reunion. The matinee features six of the summer’s films, with a red-carpet reception following. The evening show includes all seven films and two bonus horror shorts created by local high school students.
The films are expertly edited and directed by filmmakers who have graduated from film school and are operating in the industry, creating a professional environment for the kids to learn and grow as filmmakers. “Whether they have zero experience or some experience, we meet kids at their level. Sometimes kids come and they just want to play and act and don’t have interest in the technical aspects of it, so we don’t make them do that, but sometimes kids do want to get hands-on with the equipment and directing,” Anderson says.
The 2025 Thomas Farm Film Festival screens at 4 and 7pm on Feb. 22 at the Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave, Santa Cruz. Tickets: $30 adults, $20 ages 12 and under.
Summer 2025 camp schedule: Week 1: June 9–13, Week 2: June 16–20, Week 3: June 23–27, Week 4: June 30–July 4. The cost is $850 for each week; ages 5–18 can attend. thomasfarmfilms.com/register
