A Journey into the Future of our Food
In early 2025, we came into contact with Peter-Michel Heilman. What began as informal conversations around a kitchen table, interspersed with video calls, soon developed into a deeper exploration. As we spoke with Peter-Michel and with the farmers who produce our food, we were confronted with a harsh reality: for many of them, it is a daily struggle to survive. Land ownership is no longer a given, and pressure on the system is increasing every day. As filmmakers, but also as people, we found ourselves continuously surprised by what we were uncovering. We were following a thread that clearly deserved more attention.
The scale of the challenges and their urgency sparked our curiosity. The deeper we looked, the clearer it became that behind these challenges also lies a hopeful story. It was at this point that Peter-Michel shared his ‘1000 Year Vision’ with us: a future in which our children still have access to healthy food. We felt we had to follow this path. Not because we already knew where it would lead, but because some stories reveal themselves before you understand why. And those stories are best not followed from a kitchen table alone; at the table you understand the numbers, but in the field you feel the reality.
An unexpected turn
In the spring of 2025, we met again. Peter-Michel shared a surprising plan: he and his family, his wife Mieke and their son Ravi, were about to travel across Europe in a campervan. They no longer wanted to just talk, but to learn directly from farmers and from the land itself. At that time, we were already in conversations about a larger documentary on Dutch agriculture (see our story about Bauke and Martsje). But this plan immediately felt like a story in its own right: raw, honest, and visually powerful. And so it happened that we suddenly found ourselves following two parallel projects on the realities of farming. This is how the first episode of our docuseries Forever Farms was born.
In this episode, we follow the family during their journey, which they aptly call Follow The Signs. Their mission is clear: to make visible how our current food system contributes to ecological damage, such as soil depletion and loss of biodiversity. But they also show the hopeful counterpoint: farmers and initiatives working with regenerative agriculture, restoring ecosystems instead of depleting them.
Luke Hassel of The Story Farms (Top 50 Farmers)
We met at The Story Farms in the Chew Valley, where we encountered Luke Hasell. Luke is a forward-thinking farmer who, through his regenerative farming practices, shows how agriculture can contribute to the restoration of soil fertility and biodiversity. He doesn’t farm only to harvest, but with the intention of leaving the land in a better state than he found it. His approach is rooted in working with natural cycles, producing food that is not only nourishing, but also strengthens the local ecosystem.
Luke welcomed us with open arms and generously shared his knowledge with us as filmmakers. Peter-Michel and Luke already knew each other from previous encounters and immediately picked up where they had left off: their shared mission around the implementation of the ‘1000 Year Vision’. As filmmakers, we followed them closely over those days and were given full access to capture the deeper layers of their work, from the soil itself to their vision for future generations.
Field research
After several conversations, we made a spontaneous decision: we immediately travelled to England for our first shoots. Sometimes you have to seize an opportunity when it presents itself. For us, making documentaries means letting go; we are guided by the moment rather than by a strict script. What began as an in-depth exploration of the people behind the stories quickly turned into a profound confrontation with reality. We learned how the financing and viability of farms are under severe pressure, and how media representation often fails to do justice to that reality.
We went from one surprise to the next. We saw farmers who are more often hindered than supported by prescribed methods that, in the long term, can be damaging to both nature and our food. At the same time, we also discovered a great deal of hope: the deep dedication and love farmers have for their work. This is exactly why we are making Forever Farms; to explore how new forms of ownership and financing could offer a sustainable alternative.
From following to building
The journey of Peter-Michel and his family was called Follow The Signs. A search for farmers, pioneers, and stories that show that things can be done differently. As filmmakers, we travelled along and were confronted with larger questions about food, land, and the future. How long do we still have farmers producing food in cooperation with nature? Farmers who care for healthy soils, healthy animals, and healthy food. Farmers who can make a living from their work and leave the land in a better state for the next generation. What once felt self-evident is becoming less and less so.
This is how the title Forever Farms emerged for the docuseries we are creating. A cinematic exploration of the future of our food, our soil, and the communities that depend on it. Along the way, it quickly became clear that this is not a story for a single episode. The questions we encountered concern all of us, and the answers are both unsettling and hopeful. Who grows our food? How do we ensure fertile soil? What do we pass on to the next generation? These are not niche questions. These are questions about our future. That is why we are making Forever Farms.
Over the past months, we have driven hundreds of hours, held conversations, built trust, and captured stories. We met people who not only reveal the challenges of our time, but also show that hopeful alternatives exist. Now a new phase begins. The cameras have done their work and the stories have been recorded. What began as a journey has grown into a docuseries we feel must be made.
Forever Farms is coming.
Until now, we have largely self-funded this journey, driven by a deep belief in the power of these stories. Now we are building further. Not only a series, but a community of people who believe these stories need to be told. With your support, we can complete the editing, create new episodes, and reach a wider audience.
Every journey begins with a first step.
