Ron Finley in “Gangsta Gardener,” directed by Salem native Rocky Romano PHOTO: WINTERS ROCK ENTERTAINMENT
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In South Central Los Angeles there’s an empty, 50-foot pool in a former swim school where apricot and apple trees grow alongside butterflies and bees. This old pool, with its flourishing garden, is the Gangsta Garden started by urban gardener and activist, Ron Finley.
Finley’s philosophical approach to gardening and work to eliminate food deserts in Los Angeles is told in the 17-minute documentary “Gangsta Gardener,” premiering at the Boston Film Festival this week.
The Boston Film Festival will celebrate its 41st year with in-person and virtual screenings Sept. 18-22. In-person screenings take place at the Emerson Paramount Center Theatre, Central Library in Copley Square, Massachusetts College of Art and the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport. The live portion of the festival features nine films with Q&A sessions. This year’s lineup has a heavy concentration of wildlife stories, including the real-life rescue of a wild mustang in “Blue Zeus” and the human-manta ray connection in “The Last Dive.” The closing night film, “Ambleside,” is an epic love story set in Mauritius.
Yet only two of the nine featured films center subjects of color.
Robin Dawson, Boston Film Festival’s executive director said, “It depends upon the year. I would say some years we see a higher number of diversity stories, but the level of filmmaking comes into play no matter what the film’s topic is.” She continued, “We want to put together a program that’s educational, enlightening and entertaining, but we also want to make it worthy of the price of a ticket.”
Two films that made the lineup are “Gangsta Gardener” directed by Salem native Rocky Romano and “Remembering Big: Juan “Chi Chi” Rodriguez Story” by Dominican director Marisol Gonzalez. Both documentaries spotlight the pioneering spirit and perseverance of Finley and Rodriguez in their respective fields of urban farming and professional golf.
Over Zoom Romano, who wears sunglasses while sitting in a sun-drenched room in downtown Los Angeles, self-deprecatingly admits he was late to the party when he first learned about Finley. He came across an article about the prolific gardener in the Los Angeles Times. At that point Finley had already given his viral TED Talk about “gangster gardening,” which to date has over 4.6 million views. After meeting Finley, Romano and his crew got the greenlight to film Finley over three days in his garden.
The short is visually stunning, with closeups and drone shots of flora and fauna next to graffiti and murals. Finley walks audiences through his garden and over four acts: seed, sprout, bloom, harvest — explains how growing one’s own food is “gangster” when options are severely limited or laced with pesticides and provide limited nutritional value.
Juan “Chi Chi” Rodriguez in “Remembering Big: Juan “Chi Chi” Rodriguez Story” PHOTO: BIG AMG
“This is conveniently killing us slowly,” Finley says about fast food in the documentary. “It should be a RICO case because it’s definitely mass murder.”
In the film Finley describes his garden as a mess and says, “It’s kind of biomimicry. It’s replicating Mother Nature; replicating the forest.” His oasis in the city turns into luscious pinks, vibrant greens and luminous blues with the use of infrared cameras and color mixing by Nicholas McCarthy, director of photography. Romano hopes that after audiences watch the film they’ll want to “plant some [stuff] and [care] about someone other than themselves.”
One person who cared about someone other than themselves was Juan “Chi Chi” Rodriguez. Rodriguez was the first Puerto Rican professional golfer who had a powerful swing and eight wins from PGA Tour events to back it up. His life, career and philanthropy are chronicled in the talking head documentary “Remembering Big: Juan “Chi Chi” Rodriguez Story.” Gonzalez and her producer, Alina Mogollon-Volk, filmed Rodriguez at his home in Florida in just one day during the COVID-19 pandemic before his death in 2024 and his wife’s passing in 2021. The charismatic golfer, known for his matador-inspired celebratory dances on the course, moved slower on film yet recounted stories from his youth with exuberance and humor. The film includes interviews with golf historians, industry professionals, archival footage of Rodriguez’s life and fun animations that are as lively and engaging as the film’s subject.
Despite the racism and exclusion Rodriguez felt he experienced during his golf career during the 1960s and 1970s, he secured his place in the World Golf Hall of Fame. And after a 45-minute visit with Mother Theresa, Rodriguez was inspired to start the Chi Chi Rodriguez Foundation, which teaches about 600 children life skills and golf. Over Zoom, Gonzalez who’s in New York City says, “He’s an example that being yourself, being authentic, can bring you to the top of the game — any game.”
“What people don’t know about him is that he really dedicated his life to giving back to children. What he did was really remarkable,” said Dawson. “I feel like these messages are so important to share with audiences and particularly right now in a world that seems to have a lot of negativity.”
“Gangsta Gardener” premieres Sept. 20 at 1:30 p.m. at the Central Library in Copley Square. “Remembering Big: Juan “Chi Chi” Rodriguez Story” premieres Sept. 21 at 8:15 p.m. at Emerson Paramount Center Theatre.
“Gangsta Gardener”, “Remembering Big: Juan “Chi Chi” Rodriguez Story”, Boston Film Festival
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