FILMS
MINING PHOSPHORUS
2018 - 19 Min - English
Director / Producer / Editor / DP
Phosphorus has long been acquired through phosphate strip mining in Florida. A new source of phosphate is discovered and local land owners are determined to mine it, but environmentalists vow to stop them before they can begin.
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SYNOPSIS:
Phosphorus, the most critical element in modern agriculture, has been acquired through phosphate mining in Florida for over a century, but Florida’s phosphate is quickly running out. When it is gone, the United States will be dependent on phosphate imports.
A new source of phosphate is discovered in North Florida that could extend America’s phosphate supply. Local land owners are determined to mine it, but environmentalists vow to stop them before they can begin. The environmentalists point to Central Florida, where strip mining for phosphate has polluted water and air for decades.
A county permit is all that stands in the way of the strip mining project. The fight between mineral security and a healthy environment embroils two rural counties in North Florida, where the future of American phosphate mining will be determined by a few public servants.SCREENINGS:
October 19, 2018 - Orlando Film Festival
October 24 & 26, 2018 - Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival
February, 2019 - Cinema Verde International Film and Arts Festival (Winner - Best Local Film)
April 5, 2019 - Environmental Film Festival at Yale
April 7 & 8, 2019 - Sarasota Film FestivalCREDITS:
Written and Produced by Alan Toth and Laura Newberry
Directed and Edited by Alan Toth
Videography by Alan Toth, Laura Newberry and Craig Hickerson
Creative Advisors - Spencer Nakasako and Mike Shen
Technical Advisor - Chris O'Dea
Color by Gary Coates
Additional Video provided by Cheng Liu, David Wilcox and John S. Quarterman
Drone Photography provided by Klara Fletcher
Music by Terry Devine-King, Dan Skinner, Adam Skinner, Randall Breneman, Jeremy Sherman and Socorra Camposanto
Post Production Audio by Berkeley Sound Artists
Re-Recording Mixer and Sound Designer - Bijan Sharifi
Dialog Editor - Eric Reimers
Sound Effects Editor - William Sammons
Archival Footage provided by Conus Archive, Ivan Veselinovic, Anna Medvedeva, Santa Korts, The State Archives of Florida and Jehuda Photo
Featuring - Jack Hazen, Courtney Snyder, Jim Tatum, Kristy Simpson, Marc Kubinec, Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson, Andy Mele and Ed Golly
Special Thanks - Canon USA, Blackmagic Design, Chris O'Dea, Jon Else, Orlando Bagwell and The Doc Crew 2018
Funding provided by The Fine Cut Fund at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism by Minette Nelson and David Eckles of the Filmmaker Fund
Additional Funding provided by The Berkeley Journalism Working Draft Fund
©Alan Toth 2018
LIVING WITH LIONS
2018 - 5 Min - English
Co Producer / Editor / Cinematographer
In Kenya, drought and urbanization are pushing wildlife and people into closer contact.
POSH CORPS
2013 - 75 Min - English
Director / Producer / Editor / DP
Posh Corps is a 75 minute documentary film about the modern Peace Corps experience. Posh Corps is the first film to capture the experiences of volunteers during their service. The volunteers featured in this film are discussing the experience as it happens.
WRITING
NON-FICTION
Cool It Down
Science Writing - 2024 - Berkeley Engineer
Nuclear power renaissance
Science Writing - 2023 - Berkeley Engineer
Seeking better treatments for preterm babies in the “second brain”
Science Writing - 2023 - Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute
Stanford researchers observe memory formation in real time
Science Writing - 2022 - Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute
Accelerated Cellular Aging Seen in Depressed Individuals
Science Writing - 2021 - UCSF
Brain Wave Recordings for Parkinson’s Treatments
Science Writing - 2021 - UCSF
Trump Piñata Sales Soar in SF’s Mission
News - 2016 - Mission Local
FICTION
The Kingpin of Red Bluffs
Short Story - 2022 - The Plentitudes
PHOTOGRAPHY
BIO
Alan Toth is a filmmaker and writer based in San Francisco. His short film Mining Phosphorus screened at film festivals, and a version of the film was broadcast on PBS Newshour.
His short film on human-lion conflict appeared in The Atlantic Selects, a series of short films curated by The Atlantic Magazine.
His feature documentary Posh Corps chronicled the experiences of Peace Corps Volunteers in South Africa as they struggled to be helpful in a rapidly changing country. The film screened at universities throughout the United States and at USAID headquarters in Washington D.C. It has become an unofficial guide and for Peace Corps Volunteers around the world.
Alan’s non-fiction writing has been published by KQED, Mission Local, UC San Francisco, UC Berkeley and Stanford University. His fiction has appeared in literary journals.
Alan has produced films in South Africa, Kenya, Morocco, Jamaica, New Zealand, Fiji, Kiribati and all around the United States. He has a Masters in Journalism from UC Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism. He has a Bachelor of Science in Multimedia from the Art Institute of Portland. He also studied media and communications at the University of Auckland in New Zealand and Fine Art and Northwest College in Wyoming. He served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in South Africa.
CREDITS
Impresario - Feature Documentary - Additional Editing
Mining Phosphorus - Documentary Short - Director/Producer/DP/Editor
2018 Student Academy Awards finalist
Những Kẻ Sống Sót của Phan Anh - Documentary Short - Editor
Hale - Documentary Short - Cinematographer
2017 Student Academy Awards winner
Under Our Skin 2 - Feature Documentary - Assistant Editor
Posh Corps - Feature Documentary - Director/Producer/DP/Editor