Harvest Season

USA, MEXICO (2018) 83 minutes
Directed by: Bernardo Ruiz

Filmed over the course of a single season, the inner-workings of the California wine industry and the laborers who keep it running are at the forefront of Emmy-award winning filmmaker Bernardo Ruiz’s enlightening documentary, Harvest Season. Focusing on the generations of Mexican, Latino, and migrant workers that make up the industry, the film explores the extent to which the industry depends on their efforts, even as the industry’s landscape begins to undergo worrisome changes. With their stories so often left untold, the film illustrates just how deeply intertwined the industry is with the farmers and winemakers that sustain the production of some of the world’s most popular wines. While recognition for their work is sparse, the workers persevere even as new threats put their livelihoods at risk – wildfires, changing immigration policies, labor shortages, and more.