Doc - One Nation Under Sod
Documentary Feature
Title: One Nation Under Sod
TRT: 01:20:00
Project Status: In Production
Logline
America built a religion around the lawn. One Nation Under Sod follows the true believers, the heretics, and everyone in between, and finds that letting go of the ultimate status symbol is more complicated than you might think.
Synopsis
The front lawn has shaped the American dream for generations, one neatly trimmed blade at a time. But as climate pressures mount and neighbors clash over what belongs in their yards, something is shifting beneath the surface.
One Nation Under Sod is an 80-minute documentary that traces the lawn from its origins as a European status symbol, through its postwar explosion across suburban America and into the present moment. Today a $60 billion industry and a growing counter-movement are engaged in a genuine turf war.
The film follows real Americans whose yards tell a larger story: a social media personality building community through her love of turf, a self-described anti-capitalist ripping up sod one yard at a time, a man expanding his lawn simply because he loves to mow, an activist defying her HOA one pollinator plant at a time. Their stories are funny, surprising, and more complicated than any simple argument, for or against the lawn, can capture.
One Nation Under Sod doesn't take sides. It grabs a shovel and digs into the question we somehow never think to ask: what do our yards say about us?
Additional Project Information
About the Director
Aaron Schillinger is an award-winning documentary filmmaker whose work explores social justice, community resilience, and our relationship to place. His feature films include Boblo Boats: A Detroit Ferry Tale (2022) and Detroit's Olympic Uprising (2024). After relocating from New York City to the Detroit suburbs, he became fascinated by the rituals of lawn culture. He started the film as a skeptic. But after spending time with people who really love their lawns, things got more complicated.
Team
Director and Producer: Aaron Schillinger
Producer: Steve Bannatyne
Cinematographer: Sarah Griffith
Seeking
Homegrown National Park is serving as an Impact Partner and can accept tax-deductible donations on the film’s behalf. We are currently seeking:
Co-Producers and Impact Partners
Production funding
Rights Available
All rights available
Project Website
Contact
Aaron Schillinger
aaron@babyvolcano.com