Exclusives / Movies

‘Common Ground’ Is Common Sense For ‘Everyone Who Eats’ [Exclusive]

Climate change should be everyone's concern because it impacts 'everyone who eats,' 'Common Ground' director Josh Tickell says.

by Gina Ragusa

Published on October 13, 2023

2 min read

Independent film Common Ground seeks to explain how climate change can be combated directly through the current farm system.

Narrated by stars like Jason Momoa, Laura Dern, Rosario Dawson, Donald Glover, Ian Somerhalder, and Woody Harrelson, Common Ground is a letter to the world’s children that explains how soil may be the answer to a healthier planet.

Directed by Josh and Rebecca Tickell, Common Ground continues the conversation that Kiss the Ground started. The film points out that the average person believes that “someone” or “something” will pull the world off the cliff of irrevocable change or that the solution is too complex or expensive to consider.

“There’s always the mentality that somebody else is coming or something else is coming that will solve the big problems,” Josh Tickell told Showbiz Cheat Sheet. “This problem is a distributed problem, and it’s going to take a distributed solution. Interestingly, climate, food, farming… It affects all of us. There’s no one who doesn’t eat. So in terms of what’s the market for this film and this information, it’s everyone who eats.”

‘Common Ground’ is ‘solidarity’ around food, climate and farmers

Tickell said the actors featured in Common Ground signed onto the project because they were personally dedicated to the cause.

“That’s why the six big celebrities signed on to co-narrate the film. Because the film is structured as a letter to their children. All of them are parents. So Jason Momoa, Laura Dern, Rosario Dawson, Donald Glover, Ian Somerhalder, and of course Woody Harrelson. They’re all moms and dads,” Tickell, who is also a father, explained. “And when you get to that level of fame as a celebrity, to some degree, you can pick and choose what you want to do with your life. Of course, they’re incredible, talented actors.”

“They want to act, but it’s in their DNA. And of course, they’ll keep doing that,” he said. “But to take a moment and say, ‘Okay, let’s do this narration. Let’s show up at a couple of theater screenings to help people understand what this is about.’ I think when you get to that level of success, you realize that you need to give back. You need to do something to make the world a better place. And that’s that. That’s why we were very honored to have all of them commit to being in the film together.”

“And we were honored to get our SAG waiver because this is a truly independent film. We have no association with any studio whatsoever, and we won’t until the strike is over,” Tickell added. “So to see that kind of solidarity around the climate and solidarity around food. We’re in solidarity around farmers. We’re also in solidarity around taking care of the people who work in our industry. So this is the kind of work that we need to do to change the world.”

How to join the movement

Tickell said everyone can get involved in the movement. “CommonGroundFilm.Org is our join system,” he said. “We’ve got a pledge. The film has made a promise to convert 100 million acres of land to regenerative certified agriculture by 2025.”

“We’ve got certification agencies ready to help people do that. And anyone could do it. I mean, you could do it on your lawn. So we’ve got a pathway for individuals. We’ve got a pathway for farmers and we’ve got a pathway for companies. And that is how you join the movement. You become part of making regeneration happen.”