“On Her Own” A Story Of Unwavering Resilience, Preseverance And Faith

By: Austin Winter-Chase

ON HER OWN was selected for VIDEO LIBRARIAN magazine’s BEST DOCUMENTARIES list of 2015 It has also gone on to great acclaim to be a part of other Film Festivals such as Hot Docs Film Festival, Doc Fest Film Festival and many more.

While reflecting about what the consequences of our impact is having and how we can better be stewards of the earth; The Art of Monteque would like to bring you a very special interview which was done during the 2015 Slamdance Film Festival. Sometimes we forget about the true stewards of the land, the small ranchers and farmers. Who we could not live without because they are the ones that supply the food that we need in our daily lives, but at the same time it is getting harder and harder for them to be able to survive yet alone hold on to the land which has been in their families for generations.

“On Her Own” was a documentary film which debuted at the 2015 Slamdance Film Festival. “On Her Own” tells the story of Nancy Prebilich and her family as they struggle to save their 5th generation farm during the Great Recession. Yet “On Her Own” is about more than just one family’s struggle to keep their land out of foreclosure. It represents what is happening all across the U.S. as houses are foreclosed, families are forced to move apart for purely economic reasons, and small farms face ruthless competition from large factory farms & land developers. “On Her Own” explores the roles history and ancestry play in our present-day lives, asking: what happens when the cost of preserving family heritage is the family itself? It details the struggles of a farming family and fight to keep the land which they have had for generations. It is a poignant and an emotional look at what is happening to those who understand what it is to be tied to and a part of the land.

The Art Of Monteque had the honor of interviewing the filmmakers Morgan Schmidt-Feng and Chris Brown. Along with the subject of the documentary Nancy Prebilich. The recording has not been edited so as to keep the essence of this most important and quintessential story.