F&M Stories
Student Film Chronicles French Farm Living
Abby Metcalf ’25 knew early in high school that she wanted to explore the arts in college. The film and media studies major was drawn to her particular discipline because she saw it as an inclusive one.
“Whether you're a painter or a musician or a dancer or a writer, there's a place for you in the world of filmmaking, and that wide range is really important to me,” Metcalf says. “I feel like I've been able to nurture all of my different creative pursuits and passions into this one course of study.”
During her time at F&M, she’s found herself increasingly immersed in French culture and cinema, which has served as a source of inspiration in her own academic and creative work. That interest deepened when she participated in a summer study abroad experience in France, where she produced her own documentary and participated in the work of a rural farm commune.
“I feel really blessed to have been able to blend all of my various passions together
into this one project.”
Metcalf spent four weeks at the commune, working more than six hours each day to help harvest vegetables and other essential farm tasks. In between those responsibilities and when she and the other volunteers ended the work day, she was a one-person film crew, capturing everyday moments, exploring the idyllic landscape and asking other commune residents and workers to share their perspectives in filmed interviews.
It was only when she returned to the United States and began translating the French conversations to her native English that she fully understood the stories, experiences and passions that participants had shared with her during their recorded talks. The experience was unexpectedly emotional for her and reaffirmed the importance of documenting these small, personal moments.
“As I read through the interviews, I got to learn so much more about these people, since I didn't fully understand them at the time. What they were saying was very, very beautiful — why they started farming, why they chose to combine their lives and live communally — apart from filmmaking, that’s something I'm hoping to do with my life. It's such a beautiful and sustainable lifestyle, and I feel really blessed to have been able to blend all of my various passions together into this one project.”
Metcalf, a recipient of the Minter Family Endowed Scholarship, is grateful for the financial aid that’s made it possible for her not just to attend F&M, but to thrive in ways she never thought possible. She’s also thankful for the additional aid she received that allowed her to complete her work in France.
“The Paul A. Mueller Jr. Summer Award allowed me to set aside my money-related worries and focus on pursuing a project that challenged my academic and artistic growth and nurtured my longtime love of gardening and wilderness living. This [support] has made it possible to do things other than just school. Aside from making my F&M education possible for me, it has also helped me travel to other countries to complete academic-based projects … it's gone a long way in taking some of the burden off of me and my family.”
“The Paul A. Mueller Jr. Summer Award allowed me to set aside my money-related worries
and focus on pursuing a project that challenged my academic and artistic growth and
nurtured my longtime love of gardening and wilderness living.”
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