How a Missouri town transformed a wasteland into a natural wonder.
Check out our one-and-a-half minute trailer below.
Something beautiful is happening in Webb City, Missouri
Land that was once destroyed by lead and zinc mining is now being restored through a municipal compost program. We’re telling the story in a half-hour documentary that will spread this good news like a fine layer of compost: nature is healing in Cardinal Valley.
Together we are finishing the Cardinal Valley film.
In a time when it seems like the natural world is less protected than ever, our documentary is a vital and urgent story to share. Webb City, MO has saved money by composting a safe amount of their biosolids, along with limbs and leaves, and applying it to the barren ground. Land that was once contaminated is now coming back to life. Birds, butterflies, and blossoms are returning. Children are growing up in a place where nature is healing. Already, KMOS and Ozarks Public Television have expressed interest in broadcasting this film.
With the support of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, the city of Webb City, Missouri, Master Naturalists - Chert Glades Chapter, friends, family, and most recently, a major contribution from Dawson Heritage Foundation, we have met our fundraising goal. Now we can focus on completion of the film, promotion and distribution. This truly has been a leap of faith and the net did appear. We are so grateful for all of you who chose to help us tell this story.
-
3-Minute Trailer - $2000 (In-kind)
5 Location shoots, Webb City, MO
Producing Director – In Kind
Director of Photography $9350
Travel $4457
Car/mileage $2242
Lodging $1425
Meals $389
Equipment $401
Social Media/Website $1,580
Total: $15,387
-
Editor – $10,000 ($3000 In-kind)
Promotion & Distribution - $3,750
Administrative - $887 ($887 In-kind)
Contingency - $2000 ($1000 In-kind)
Total - $17,937
Total In-kind - $4887
Total To Be Raised - $0
Meet the Team
Meredith Ludwig, Producing Director
Meredith saw her first musical at age eight and from then on embraced the act of telling stories in any media that she came in contact with. An early participant in Mid-West Radio Theatre Workshop at KOPN in Columbia, Missouri, she became a regular on the station with The Compost Pile, a series of audio essays. Her most enjoyable undertaking thus far was creating and producing, Gumbo Bottoms, a Big Muddy Musical, with Cathy Barton. She enjoyed turning oral history into theatre until the pandemic inspired the leap to film, creating content for the tribes in Ottawa County, Oklahoma. She continues to toil in the field.
Aaron Phillips, Director of Photography
Aaron is a former Civil Engineer turned photographer and filmmaker. His love of light, shadow and the technical aspects of filmmaking fuel his passion for the decisive moment. Aaron splits his time between Missouri and Mississippi, as DP, editor, and producer for documentaries, music videos, commercials, narrative short films, and community-based story gathering projects. Aaron has worked on dozens of documentaries, often exploring themes of community, place, and sustainability. He was Director of Photography and field producer for Fertile Ground, a documentary examining food insecurity in central Mississippi, which aired on PBS in 2020 and went on to win an Emmy the following year.
Kira Gresoski, Campaign Manager
Kira is the author of Bodies of Water & Women, a poetry collection that explores the impacts of radioactive waste on her hometown of North County St. Louis. After moving to mid Missouri, she founded The Birth Verse, where she combines her skills as a storyteller and a doula to support families through birth and postpartum. She graduated with her MFA in Writing from Pacific University in 2023.
Matt Schacht, Associate Producer
Matt is the Owner and Operator of Peace Frame Productions, a commercial film production company in downtown Columbia, Missouri. He is the Studio Manager and Co-Founder of Vidwest Studios, a community media center with the mission of making digital media accessible to everyone. He graduated from the University of Missouri Law School in 2015.
Thank you to everyone who helps make this work possible
We’re grateful to MCE, one of our fiscal sponsors, for accepting tax-deductible donations for us, on behalf of this project.
To send your funds directly to us, write “Cardinal Valley Documentary” where it says Make this donation in honor or in memory of someone.
CHERT GLADES CHAPTER
Vidwest Studios, one of our fiscal sponsors, has been a wonderful support through this project.
We’re grateful they accept tax-deductible donations for us, to help fund our post-production costs. You can donate directly at this link.