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. Some of Susun's apprentices leave transformed. Some have accused her of abuse.
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. I was told that wasn't a real job. Decades later, it turns out being a witch is entirely possible — enter Susun Weed, who lives thirty-five minutes from me.
When I told my herbalist friends I was going to one of her full moon gatherings, they implored me to be careful, and shared whispered stories about how she treated her students. It only made me more curious. Over a decade I attended many of Susun's witchuals before asking her for a first interview.
My role here is as a conduit: not to place judgment on whether she is a “good witch” or a “bad witch,” but to show the whole contradictory woman, and to bring the magic of the plant world to a new audience.