The Witch's Apprentice
A film about plant cognition, cancel culture, and letting go of what others think of you.
A film about plant cognition, cancel culture, and letting go of what others think of you.
In this short documentary film, we wander deep into the woods to study with Susun Weed — author, witch, and herbalist.
Susun Weed is one of the biggest names in Western herbalism, and she compares herself to Baba Yaga — the witch in the woods who might help you or might devour you.
In The Witch's Apprentice, we follow a young Dutch herbalist named Julie through her summer-long internship with a witch who knows all there is to know about plant medicine — and not one thing about sugarcoating it.
Nothing is as it seems.
Upcoming festival and community screenings will be listed here as they're confirmed.
Interested in hosting a screening for your community, farm, school, or festival? Get in touch.
Laura deNey is an Emmy Award–winning producer and editor, and a naturalist who grows her own witchy herbs in the Hudson Valley. Her work includes National Geographic, PBS, Anthony Bourdain's series, and the feature WASTED! The Story of Food Waste. She is co-owner of Flicker Filmworks in Ulster County, where she executive produced the Emmy-nominated CBS series Hidden Heroes. She is currently directing her first feature documentary, on reproductive access in the US.
For press and screening inquiries, write to laura@flickerfilmworks.com.
When I was a kid, I wanted to be a witch when I grew up. But when I was told that wasn't a real job and asked for a second choice, I chose President of the US. Decades later, we still haven't had a woman president, but it turns out being a witch is actually possible… enter Susun Weed.
When I first became interested in herbalism, I read about Susun and her pioneering role in the modern herbal movement — and she only lived thirty-five minutes away from me. I knew I had to meet her. Over the course of a decade, I attended many of Susun's witchuals before asking her for a first interview.
Ultimately, my hope is that the film will inspire audiences to cultivate a deeper relationship with the plant world, help expand our empathy to overcome “us vs. them” thinking (so prevalent in the US today), and find magic in our everyday, complicated lives.