Documentarian sets sights on state’s hemp industry

As Colorado’s hemp and CBD industry has exploded in recent years, Josh Hyde has been there every step of the way with his camera trained on the action.

The Lafayette-based filmmaker recently released “American Hemp,” a documentary that tracks the growth and evolution of the industry by following local hemp entrepreneurs, activists and regulators.

“I was interested in hemp because it is one of the newest industries in the United States,” said Hyde, who was mentored by the acclaimed documentary filmmakers behind the Academy Award-winning “Hoop Dreams” and “Minding The Gap.” “You don’t always get to witness the emergence of new industries firsthand — and if you do witness it, how do you film it?

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“Take the computer industry in the 1980s for example,” he said. “It’s super interesting, but do you want to watch Steve Jobs sit at a computer and type for two hours?”

The hemp industry, with its rolling green fields, giant CBD processing equipment and quirky characters, is more visually dynamic.

And while the hemp industry is still in its infancy, Hyde expects it to have staying power and allow the film to maintain its relevance.

“Hemp is going to be in the news cycle for five, 10, 15 years. And it’s going to impact so many other industries: bioplastics, food, wellness,” he said. “I wanted to find a film that I could shoot over an extended period of time.”

His home in the heart of Colorado’s Front Range, a hemp and CBD mecca, played a role in the decision to focus “American Hemp” on the industry.

“I was looking for a topic where I could find subjects who live within five or 10 minutes of me,” Hyde said. “I wanted to be able to regularly check in with them.”

Hyde, who has lived and worked in New York and Los Angeles, said, “At a certain point, you realize that stories happen all over the world. I’m not a New York or L.A. person — I’m a story person and [Colorado] is where this particular [hemp] story is happening.”

Hyde credits Colorado’s early adoption of legalized medical and recreational cannabis as a driving force behind the state’s emergence as a hemp hotbed.

“All of the research being done here on marijuana opened the door for research on hemp, which was being done in a similar ways,” he said. “The states that prohibit marijuana are way behind on research.”
Different state-by-state regulatory environments have created a country “where people are living in two different realities,” Hyde said. “People who are living in cannabis-friendly states that also support hemp are living in a futuristic economy where people who don’t even consume these products benefit from the tax infrastructure. States that are still in a prohibition mindset are in the past.”

Hyde spent the better part of two years tracking the industry and gathering footage for his film.

“American Hemp,” which is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video, features local hemp and CBD brands including Evo Hemp LLC, Colorado Cultivars USA LLC and Remedi Hemp LLC.

If all goes according to plan, he will likely devote at least another couple of years to hemp.

“I think the ‘American Hemp’ documentary is going to spawn an entire [streaming television series] about hemp,” Hyde said. “I want people to be able to stay with me on the frontlines of what’s going on with hemp in America.”