When California legalized marijuana in 2016, small farmers and medical marijuana operators celebrated the hard-fought victory as an opportunity to finally step out of the shadows and join the commercial industry as legal key players. Their excitement quickly gave way to frustration in the face of inept bureaucracy and new regulations favouring big corporate entities, threatening the survival of the independent famers and craft producers who helped launch the cannabis industry in the first place. Director Chris J. Russo’s feature documentary, Lady Buds follows six courageous women—farmers, entrepreneurs and activists—through their triumphs and failures as they fight for a place in California’s shifting marijuana industry.
An experienced short film producer and filmmaker, Lady Buds is Russo’s first feature film. She was drawn to the project for several reasons. She recognized cannabis legalization’s potential to affect enormous economic and societal change, and was also struck by the number of women in leadership roles in an industry stereotypically depicted as a stoner “bro” environment. Through her research, Russo learned that women had long been key players in the marijuana movement, as had LGBTQ activism. In her director’s statement for the film, Russo explains that as a woman and queer-identified filmmaker, she connected with the history of the underground cannabis industry, the passionate commitment of the women propelling the movement, and the position of cannabis farmers as societal outliers fighting for their beliefs.
The six women at the heart of the film each provide a different insight into the industry. Through Latinx queer activist Felicia Carbajal, we learn about the important role LGBTQ activism played in laying the foundation of the medical marijuana industry during the AIDS crisis in the 1990s. Carbajal takes up the mantle and furthers cannabis advocacy by running for local government. Second-generation cannabis farmer Chiah Rodriques shares stories of growing up on a “back to the land” hippie commune, hiding cannabis plants from federal helicopters. Today, she and her husband struggle with the expensive costs of legalization, California wildfires, and raising a teenage son to respect cannabis rather than abuse it. African American businesswoman and retired principal Sue Taylor invested her retirement savings into opening the first cannabis dispensary for senior citizens, but must weather the slow, financially draining pace of bureaucracy to materialize her passion project. Entrepreneur Karyn Wagner hopes to open a dispensary to support and market local cultivators and revitalize a small tourist town. And finally, the Bud Sisters, “OG” cannabis farmers and hilarious best friends Pearl Moon and Dr. Joyce Centofanti are community symbols of the longstanding small farm cannabis culture of Humboldt County, the very existence of which is threatened by legalization’s expensive regulations and failure to protect small cultivators.
Russo infuses the film with energy every step of the way through her engaged filmmaking style, editing choices and lively soundtrack. Relaying the experiences of six different subjects over the course of an hour and a half is an ambitious task, one that could find the audience easily losing track of individual narratives—but Russo runs a tight ship and never loses sight of her subjects, transitioning from one woman’s story to the next with vitality and ease. Inevitably, there are certain threads that Russo doesn’t have time to fully delve into, giving us more of an overview instead. However, Russo is adept at condensing a large amount of material into her limited time frame, and the film is all the more captivating and informative for its broad scope of the industry’s challenges and frustrations than if the film had narrowed its focus to one subject.
There are many discouraging setbacks in each of the six women’s ongoing struggles to survive under legalization, but whether they adapt or fight back, they never truly give up. Their courage, leadership and endurance through it all is inspiring, and Russo deftly captures their commitment and deep-rooted care for cannabis and the many ways it helps people and families. Russo also brings levity to the film, balancing industry frustrations with the joy and humour within cannabis culture. The Bud Sisters in particular light up every one of their scenes with their giggly friendship and good-natured cheer, which they maintain throughout even the low points of their journey with legalization.
Russo’s choice to frame the documentary through the eyes of these particular six women highlights women’s active leadership roles in the industry and helps negate adverse connotations about cannabis culture. Plus, there’s a poetic resonance given that cultivated cannabis is a female plant. Russo’s invigorating and informative feature makes its world premiere at this year’s Hot Docs Festival, which runs digitally from April 29 through May 9.
Score: A-
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