Jungletown

In 2008, entrepreneur Jimmy Stice bought 600 acres of tropical rain forest and set out to build a traditional city in paradise, when the market crashed thanks to traditional real estate. Realizing the old model of “if we build it they will come” was broken, he flipped it to “if they come, they will build it” and founded Kalu Yala, which means “Sacred Land,” which has since attracted hundreds of young people who – facing climate disaster, have decided to dedicate their lives to sustainability efforts over pursuing more traditional consumer-oriented routes.

JUNGLETOWN is an intimate look at mostly Millenials as they leave the comfort of their lives in civilization to come the jungle and figure out new ways to live, at a time we all must. JUNGLETOWN documents incredibly raw and intriguing characters and the work they are doing to set up farming systems, recycle 100% of their waste, build a stable water system, and document the wildlife to help preserve it. It’s also a look at what real community might look like, at a time when we’ve lost a sense of what that means. Sustainability and community are directly linked, so even though it’s not “the world’s most sustainable town” right now, the intention of all the people drawn there is to find a new ways to live together and work together in a way that’s positive for the earth. The film demonstrates that we can actively learn to live differently and offset climate change. We need to change our ways and this is an exciting way to portray that concept. Though sustainable living is very challenging, it’s possible.