The director of Greendale, Bernard Shakey is much better known as the rock icon Neil Young. Greendale is a feature-length adaptation of Young's album of the same name. Following the lives of a family in a small town, the film's actors lip sync the dialogue as it appears in the songs, which are all present in the versions heard on the CD. The story concerns Arius Green (Ben Keith), a friendly old-timer who lives on the Double-E ranch with his family. His son Earl (James Mazzeo) is a struggling painter. When cousin Jed (Eric Johnson) murders Officer Carmichael (Paul Supplee), there is a media frenzy that brings about the death of Arius. Arius' granddaughter Sun Green (Sarah White) sets off on a life of social protest. Greendale was screened at the 2003 Toronto Film Festival.