Real Food Film Festival

Thursday, March 26

The Sacred Food
Director: Jack Pettibone Riccobono, United States, 2006, 6 minutes

The Ojibwe of Northern Minnesota regard their wild rice (Manoomin) as a gift from their Creator. Amidst the voiceover of an ages-old creation story, this wonderful short film observes the traditional hand harvesting and parching techniques of the Ojibwe’s wild rice, and the community’s fight to protect it.
Filmmaker Jack Pettibone Riccobono’s The Sacred Food is a thoughtful, quiet meditation on a cultural tradition and food unique to our continent – and its struggle to survive amidst impending attempts by biotech companies to genetically modify it, thus changing it forever.

Fried Chicken and Sweet Potato Pie
Director: Bailey Barash, United States, 2006, 20 minutes

Known as the “Grande Dame of Southern Cooking” Edna Lewis was a tall, commanding woman in both the culinary world, and her everyday life. The granddaughter of freed slaves, she would grow up to be a great chef, culinary ambassador, and caretaker of genuine Southern cooking.
Fried Chicken and Sweet Potato Pie is a film tribute to Ms. Lewis, in which filmmaker Bailey Barash presents a loving portrait of the woman that not only inspired a generation of young chefs, but worked to ensure that the traditional folkways of the South would not be forgotten.

In the Same Boat
Director: Martha Stiegman, Canada, 2007, 40 minutes

Shot on Nova Scotia’s legendary Bay of Fundy, Martha Stiegman’s In the Same Boat explores the common ground between indigenous and non-native communities, while showing the very different role fishing plays in both cultures. The film is presented in two short parts, the first a portrait of Terry Farnsworth, the last handliner on the Bay of Fundy. Part two follows the struggle of the Bear River First Nation as they stand up to pressure from the Department of Fisheries to sell their treaty rights for a ticket into the commercial fisheries.

This insightful film lets local people tell their own stories and, in the process, provides us with a deep insight into the struggles they face.

Once Upon a French Fry
Director: Pierre Olivier-François, France, 2006, 52 minutes

Pierre Olivier-François’ quirky film Once Upon a French Fry delves into the crazy world of potato and french fry culture, where we learn that (among other things): countries are battling each other to be “home of the french fry”; fries have been served in the White House for over 200 years; and that in Japan fries are rumoured to make those who eat them become tall, white and blond! This romp through the history of the common french fry will feed your mind and incite a serious craving in the process.

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