Alan Toth
 
 

ALAN TOTH

WRITER • FILMMAKER

 
 
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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.

  • 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 Festival

    CREDITS:

    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.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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WRITING 

 

NON-FICTION


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

 
 
 

Trump Piñata Sales Soar in SF’s Mission

News - 2016 - Mission Local


 

FICTION


The Kingpin of Red Bluffs

Short Story - 2022 - The Plentitudes


 
 
 
 
 
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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

 
 
 
 
 
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CONTACT