Press release:

DOCUMENTARY ON VIRGINIA FARMER’S TRIUMPH OVER CORRUPTION, CRONYISM WINS ANTHEM FILM FESTIVAL AWARDS

“Farming in Fear” is the Story of Martha Boneta’s Struggle against Power and Privilege

(WASHINGTON, DC) – In a stunning victory for the cause of property rights throughout the United States, “Farming in Fear,” won both the Excellence in Filmmaking for a Short Documentary and the Audience Choice awards at the prestigious Anthem Film Festival at Freedom Fest in Las Vegas July 11, 2015.

Directed by Sean Malone of Honest Enterprise, “Farming in Fear” features commentaries by renowned defenders of property rights, including author/farmer Joel Salatin, John Whitehead of the Rutherford Institute and Constitutional scholar Mark Fitzgibbons.

Martha Boneta’s dream of becoming a farmer is realized when her family purchases a 64-acre property on the edge of Virginia’s fabled Shenandoah Valley. But Martha soon enters a Kafkaesque world of phony documents, trumped-up charges, and GESTAPO-style “inspections” of her property. Her dream becomes a nightmare until she does the one thing her tormentors never counted on: She fights back. Over time, the elaborate web of deceit spun by the well-heeled interests coveting her farm is exposed for all to see.

“Facing overwhelming odds in the form of collusion involving a ruthless local government, a rapacious environmental group, powerful real estate interests, and even the IRS, Martha Boneta stood her ground,” says Bonner Cohen, senior fellow at the National Center for Public Policy Research and senior policy analyst with the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT). “The film documents her struggle against corrupt forces intent on driving her off her land. Her ultimate triumph is inspirational and so is this documentary.”

“I’m grateful that after seeing what had happened to me, the Virginia General Assembly passed legislation providing additional protections to family farmers and local landowners and I’m grateful to Anthem Film Festival for helping people everywhere understand that you can fight back and win” Boneta said.

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