AMERICUS — The makers of the award-winning documentary “Briars in the Cotton Patch: The Story of Koinonia Farm” are celebrating the 10th anniversary by re-releasing the film on DVD with never-before-seen bonus features.

“Briars” had its world premiere on May 30, 2003, at the Rylander Theatre in downtown Americus to a packed house of more than 630 people.

“Technically, the 10th anniversary of Briars is coming up in May 2013,” says Briars director Faith Fuller. “We decided to do an early release in conjunction with the celebration of Koinonia Farm’s 70th anniversary (held the weekend of Oct. 27-29). It’s hard to believe nearly 10 years have passed by.”

“Briars in the Cotton Patch” had its national broadcast premiere airing on PBS stations across the United States in February 2005, as part of Black History Month.

In addition, Briars won numerous awards including a prestigious CINE and a regional Emmy for Best Documentary Script. It was nominated for a second regional Emmy for Best Music Score. Briars was also an official selection of four film festivals across the U.S. including the Ojai Film Festival (Calif.), RiverRun Film Festival (N.C.), Atlanta Film Festival, and Asheville Film Festival (N.C.).

The documentary is being re-released in its original form with the addition of four brand new bonus features:

• Koinonia Farm “Briars” Update (2012) — Koinonia Farm has been through a metamorphosis of sorts since Briars premiered in 2003. Financial and management troubles in the 1990s nearly led to Koinonia shutting its doors for good. This brief update shows where Koinonia is today. Special introduction by Briars director Faith Fuller.

• Greg Wittkamper 40th High School Reunion (2006) — Greg Wittkamper, who is featured in the Briars documentary, grew up at Koinonia Farm in the 1960s and faced the wrath of his school mates at Americus High School. Scorned as an outcast for 40 years, he received a surprising and emotional invitation from former classmates. Watch as the camera follows along with Greg for this remarkable and moving reunion.

• Briars World Premier (2003) — Briars in the Cotton Patch premiered at the historic Rylander Theatre. Hear the reaction from audience members after seeing the documentary for the first time.

• Clarence Jordan: Legacy of Faith — This is the short film that inspired it all. Produced by Briars director Faith Fuller, this short film premiered at the dedication of the Clarence Jordan Center in 1999, at Habitat for Humanity’s headquarters in Americus. This film is about the extraordinary life and impact of Clarence Jordan and inspired the idea to produce the one-hour Briars documentary.

The new 10th Anniversary Edition DVD of Briars in the Cotton Patch is available for sale through the Koinonia Farm website www.koinoniapartners.org or call 229-924-0381. The DVD is also available at the following Americus locations: Cafe Campesino, The Maze and the Americus Welcome Center.

The full documentary can be viewed instantly online at www.briarsdocumentary.com



About Briars in the Cotton Patch

“Briars in the Cotton Patch: The Story of Koinonia Farm” is an award-winning documentary that tells the nearly forgotten story of Koinonia Farm, an unconventional Christian community in Southwest Georgia where whites and blacks chose to live and work together as equals despite the brutal and frightening consequences.

Possibly the most daring social experiment in the South during the last century, Koinonia faced years of terror and boycotts in the years leading up to the tumultuous Civil Rights era.

Narrated by former Atlanta Mayor and Civil Rights veteran Andrew Young, this one-hour documentary examines the remarkable events that tested the moral boundaries of a community and planted the seeds for the global work of Habitat for Humanity, The Fuller Center for Housing and Jubilee Partners.