FRIDAY FOOD FILMS

When?  Friday nights in February and March, 7:00 p.m.
Where?  BriarPatch Community Room (Seating is limited.)
How much?  Admission is free (donations to the BriarPatch Cooperative Community Fund gladly accepted)
Food? Food is allowed in the Community Room, but to minimize noise and distraction, please plan to enjoy your supper and snacks before the show, in the Good Food Gallery/dining area.

Some of these films were shown locally at SYRCL’s Wild and Scenic Film Festival this January. Others are screening in the area for the first time.

Friday, February 3

Two Angry Moms

62 minutes
by Amy Kalafa
Amy Kalafa was stewing for years while packing her kids lunches from home and trying to get her community to pay attention to what kids are eating in school. When news of a national child health crisis began to make headlines, Amy, an award-winning documentary filmmaker, decided to take the fight to film. “Two Angry Moms” is about Amy's quest to learn what she and other parents need to know and do to get better food in their kids' schools. The other angry mom, Susan Rubin, had been trying for a decade to work with her district to improve school food, earning herself a reputation as a rabble-rouser. Exasperated, she decided to reach beyond her school district, and founded Better School Food, her own grassroots organization.
angrymoms.org

Friday, February 10

The Dark Side of Chocolate

47 minutes
by Miki Mistrati
Is the chocolate we eat produced by child labor? Hunting for answers, Miki Mistrati finds himself in Mali, West Africa. There, on secretly taken footage, he captures illegal child trafficking to cocoa fields in the neighboring Ivory Coast. Children as young as seven are forced to do difficult, dangerous tasks in order to harvest the cocoa needed for a chocolate bar. Does your favorite chocolate have a bitter taste?
thedarksideofchocolate.org

Friday, February 17

Food Stamped

62 minutes
By Shira and Yoav Potash
“Food Stamped follows two Oakland filmmakers as they attempt to eat a healthy diet while living on food stamps with a budget of $1 a meal. By interviewing members of Congress, food justice organizations, nutritionists, and Americans who live on food stamps, this award-winning film takes an in-depth, critical look at food security.
foodstamped.com

Friday, February 24

The Greenhorns

38 minutes
by Severine von Tscharner Fleming
“The Greenhorns” is a documentary that explores the lives of America's young farming community — its spirit, practices, and needs. As the nation experiences a groundswell of interest in sustainable lifestyles, we see the promising beginnings of an agricultural revival. Young farmers' efforts feed us safe food, conserve valuable land, and reconstitute communities split apart by strip malls.
thegreenhorns.net

Friday, March 2

Corner Plot and Truck Farm

10 minutes / 50 minutes
by Ian Cook and Andre Dahlman / by Ian Cheney
It’s a 1986 Dodge pickup with a mini-farm planted in the truck bed. It’s a traveling, edible exhibit that brings a rural experience to urban students. It’s a “Truck Farm,” literally!
truck-farm.com

“Corner Plot” tells the story of 89-year-old Charlie Koiner, who continues to farm on his one acre amidst the urban expansion surrounding Washington, DC. Charlie believes that farm life has led to his good health and well being.
cornerplotmovie.com

Friday, March 9

GROW!

52 minutes
by Christine Anthony and Owen Masterson
Documenting one growing season on 12 Georgia farms, “GROW!” explores the 20 young farmers who tend the land. Most of them borrow, manage, or rent the land from previous generations. The film allows the farmers to speak for themselves, and what they say reduces the sense of doom that often pervades discussion of the American agricultural system.
growmovie.net

Friday, March 16

Wine From Here

60 minutes
by Martin Carel
“Wine From Here” is about the budding natural wine movement in California. Through lively and in-depth interviews with natural wine producers in their own working environments of vineyard and winery, the film reveals the passion and the techniques that distinguish natural wine producers from other wine producers. The film emphasizes the importance of organic and sustainable farming, the use of native yeasts during grape fermentation, and the restrained use of sulfur. Ultimately, “Wine From Here” captures the values of a new generation of wine drinkers who care about authenticity and the environment. The film is the story of this generation’s favorite winemakers, who are pioneering a new trend in the California wine industry.
winefromhere.com

Friday, March 23

The Quest for Local Honey

Approx. 60 minutes
By Jen-Rhi Winders and Karin Meadows
“The Quest for Local Honey” follows two Nevada County honey enthusiasts exploring the life and lore of honey bees and the challenges of beekeeping. Filmmakers Karin Meadows and Jen-Rhi Winders travel from Nevada City to the coast of Northern California to taste hidden honey and learn about the stressors in the honey bee world, including Colony Collapse Disorder.
questforlocalhoney.com