Taggart Siegel

In 1923, Rudolf Steiner, an Austrian scientist, philosopher & social innovator, predicted that in 80 to 100 years honeybees would collapse. Now, beekeepers around the United States and around the world are reporting an incredible loss of honeybees, a phenomenon deemed "Colony Collapse Disorder." This "pandemic" is indicated by bees disappearing in mass numbers from their hives with no clear single explanation. The queen is there, honey is there, but the bees are gone. For the first time, in an alarming inquiry into the insights behind Steiner's prediction QUEEN OF THE SUN: What Are the Bees Telling Us? investigates the long-term causes behind the dire global bee crisis through the eyes of biodynamic beekeepers, commercial beekeepers, scientists and philosophers.

A film about the importance of heirloom seeds to the agriculture of the world, focusing on seed keepers and activists from around the world.

An outcast in his community, Farmer John bravely stands amidst a failing economy, vicious rumors, and violence. By melding the traditions of family farming with the power of art and free expression, this powerful story of transformation and renewal heralds a resurrection of farming in America. Through highly personal interviews and 50 years of beautifully textured footage, filmmaker Taggart Siegel shares Farmer John’s haunting and humorous odyssey, capturing what it means to be wildly different in a rural community.

We call them o-rang-u-tans, which literally means "forest persons" in the Malay and Indonesian languages. They are the only great apes native to Asia. Of all the apes, they are the closest to man in genetic makeup. And they face extinction. Two years in the making, the film is an intimate portrayal of the world of orangutans, the threats to their survival and the people committed to help them thrive. The film focuses on a recent discovery that orangutans do not rely on animal instinct for survival, but instead have a culture that they have preserved from generation to generation.

A young woman uses witchcraft to take her revenge on an artist who dumped her.

Gangs are society's ultimate devil figure. They symbolize transgression and embody the deepest fears of middle class citizens. Few filmmakers have dared or been able to get behind the headlines to confront the human reality and complexity of street gangs in urban America. The Heart Broken in Half challenges stereotypes, giving a voice to the street youths and revealing their underground culture, uncovering an intricate web of symbols and passions, territory and brotherhood, honor and all too often, death. "The Heart Broken in Half reminded me of Spike Lee's best work; as a documentary it taught me about street life in today's Chicago—and by analogy about many of America's inner-cities." - Richard Schechner, Professor of Performance Studies, New York University.

Bees have existed in the world for 150 million years. They are essential helpers for the growth of plants and crops that serve as food for other animals. During their development, people realized the importance of bees and have been involved in beekeeping since ancient times. Recently, however, bees have begun to die excessively for no apparent reason. The film addresses the dramatically deteriorating health of bee colonies and the unforeseeable consequences that bee mortality can have for our very existence. It seeks answers to the questions of what bees actually want to tell us and what significance bees have in the broader context of sustainability of life on Earth. To prevent such a catastrophe, our approach to beekeeping must be fundamentally changed. In this regard, the film offers many stimuli and inspiring examples from around the world.

Exploration of prejudice and culture clash that a group of Laotian Buddhist refugees must endure in Rockford, Illinois.

America has become the testing ground for the enduring strength of Hmong culture. THE SPLIT HORN documents the journey of Hmong shaman Paja Thao and his family from the mountains of Laos to the heartland of America: Appleton, Wisconsin. This poignant film shows a shaman's struggle to maintain his ancient traditions as his children embrace American culture. The evocative narrative captures the daily struggle of Paja Thao's family between two worlds.

This classic film documents the Hmong refugees who have been transplanted from their agrarian mountain villages in northern Laos to cities in the U.S.