Kaiser Thrive Winner – The Bullish Farmer

Running time: 80 mins

From Wall Street to his very own organic farm, an inspiring and powerful journey. Each year, one of the world's most inspiring and life-affirming films receives the coveted Kaiser Permanente Thrive Award and is presented at Cinequest. Previous recipients have included audience favorites I Am (directed by Tom Shadyac, Bruce Almighty), Wampler's Ascent, and Crescendo! The Power of Music. This year's winner tells the magnificent story of a Wall Street "Bull" who has transformed his life into one epitomizing Kaiser Permanente's commitment to enhance healthy living. Chasing his dream of a simpler life, John Ubaldo, a successful Wall Street investment banker, moves upstate to run his own small farm. However, he soon realizes that his preferred method of sustainable and organic farming goes against the grain with the prevailing practice of Big Ag to produce mass quantities of food at the lowest possible cost. "Big John," resembling Tony Soprano with a ponytail, is not about to give up his ideals. Continuing to farm in a natural and healthy way, John takes on the establishment with his blog, advocating for animal rights and against chemicals. Passionate, but still keeping his sense of humor, John's inspirational crusade proves that one man can truly make a difference. - Sandy Wolf Preceded by the short film: Perfectly Normal; dir. Joris Debeij; USA; 12min. Sponsored by Kaiser Permanente Presented In Honor Of Jim Boyce