2023 Film Selection

Owen Dubeck - UNITED STATES | 23 mins

During the largest food crisis in a century, a group of college students step up to help those facing hunger. Their small local effort inspires hope nationally and motivates 600+ students to drop everything to feed millions of families. Within months, the project scales larger than anyone could have imagined and the students find themselves on the front lines of fighting hunger. As food bank lines grow across the country and college finals approach, do the students have what it takes to create a long term solution?

Luisa Macedo - BRAZIL | 17 mins

In the city of Belo Horizonte, Brazil, we see the affectionate relationships with the kitchen maintained by three women in their urban backyards.

Iver Bostad - NORWAY | 2 mins

Lidia is from Sibir in Russia and moved all the way to a tiny island on the west coast of Norway called Vigra, with roughly 2000 inhabitants. She started a small bakery here in 2017 and her passion for French pastry has gotten her famous in the local community. The film is a homage to the ones that keep the handcrafted bakeries still available to a wider audience.

David Carminati - ITALY | 16 mins

The documentary "Don't Star(v)e" follows the reality of the Capuchin friars' soup kitchen for the poor in Bergamo, offering a fresh and innovative perspective on this important social assistance service. Through moving interviews with guests, volunteers, and responsible parties, the documentary presents the complexity and beauty of the work carried out in the soup kitchen. But it is not just a traditional documentary: with the use of artistic references and images generated by artificial intelligence, the film takes the experience to a completely new level, exploring the emotional and visual dimensions of the reality of the soup kitchen and its community. "Don't Star(v)e" is an invitation to look at the work of those who dedicate themselves to solidarity and social justice with new eyes.

Roger Sorkin - UNITED STATES | 29 mins

Farm Free or Die shows how transformative agricultural policies can improve farming livelihoods while addressing the climate crisis. The stories of farmers on the front lines of severe environmental and economic adversity will catalyze support for policies that stabilize rural communities, strengthen food security, and incentivize soil health and carbon removal.

Dena Katzen Seidel, Micah Seidel - UNITED STATES | 29 mins

Across America, small family farms are racing against climate change. Unpredictable weather and new diseases are destroying the very crops they depend upon. In New Jersey, when a devastating disease wipes out farmers' fields, growers turn to scientists for help. Fields of Devotion follows the unique relationship between farmers and scientists as they work together over a decade to develop disease and climate resistant food crops. Told from the perspective of the farmers and scientists in the field, Fields of Devotion shares the detailed science steps for developing disease resistant food crops and that farmers need. This is a story of hard work, collaboration and innovative solutions for a rapidly changing world.

Cloé Fortin - BARBADOS | 40 mins

Motivated by the multiple crises affecting the island since 2020, this documentary film discusses the potential of the tenets of food sovereignty for Barbados, where the movement is mostly unheard of, obscured by a forced focus on food security. While food security ensures that people are fed, it avoids questions on how the food is produced, and to whom it profits. As one of the outcomes of three years of academic research on the food system of Barbados, the film gives a voice to the local consumers, farmers, distributors, officials and experts about what kind of changes they wish for. The film also hopes to be a tool for further discussion on our problematic relationships to food, both in the Caribbean and in other regions of the world.

Matt Coddaire - UNITED STATES | 30 mins

From the Heartland is a candid depiction of American Agriculture and the rural towns that are reliant on its success. But when an industry‚ ability to thrive is dependent on progress, how does the family farm discard the practices that have been passed down through generations to try something new in order to save the land?

David Boanuh - GHANA | 19 mins

A story of hope, dreams, and yes, also hardships.. a story of the cocoa industry, as told by the farmers themselves. Beautifully captured by Ghanaian filmmaker David Boanuh in this short documentary celebrating a fresh, West African perspective.

Ben Hemmings - CANADA | 26 mins

In 'Grazed Right,' we join environmentalist ranchers Ben and Steph Campbell on a transformative journey through the heart of the most endangered ecosystem in North America, the grasslands. Discover how their innovative approach of rotational grazing is not only revitalizing the land and ecosystems but also redefining sustainable agriculture, all while providing high-quality meat to consumers across Canada. Turning the narrative of 'cows are bad for the environment' on its head, we explore the inspiring story of millennial ranchers dedicated to nurturing the Earth through grazing cows, and witness the profound impact of regenerative agriculture in action.

Lina Li - CANADA | 6 mins

In this candid short, filmmaker Lina Li and her mother engage in an intimate conversation about immigration to Canada, misunderstandings, barriers to communicating, love and the taste of home.

Andrea Yu-Chieh Chung - USA | 11 mins

In a world where industrialized meat production has become the norm, some Muslims strive to maintain a diet that is permitted by God and more humane.

Jamshid Farajvand Fard - IRAN | 20 mins

An environmentalist and animal rights activist whose care for nature and concerns for water shortage is unique in his own way. He has chosen to live away from the city and people, however, after each visit to the city he collects all the recyclable and usable items namely plastic bottles, worn and abandoned tires on the roadsides and in nature. His job is to grow tomatoes, vegetables, and use the garden trees, grapes, and even roses that he grows and earns a living from that. But perhaps his strangest difference with the rest of the gardeners in the world is his home in which he lives - a building with dilapidated TVs, cell phones. The appearance of the walls and putting the TVs under mud can be a reason for hatred and avoidance, however, he takes shelter inside the same building which shows a contrast that mankind faces these days.

Samuel Diaz Fernandez - UNITED STATES | 13 mins

Nolvia Castillo immigrated to the United States from a small village in Chiriqui, Guatemala, where she remembers eating fresh fruits and vegetables. In her new home of Austin, Texas, Nolvia finds her independence through learning how to drive and delivering produce to her neighbors as part of a food distribution program by local nonprofits Go Austin/Vamos Austin and Urban Roots Farm. As filmmaker, Ai Vuong rides along with Nolvia, she also reflects on the significance of past meals with her parents. Together through food, they navigate the roads of their shared immigrant experience: that which we had, and thus hold on to, and that of what we create for the future.

Kyle Finnegan - UNITED STATES | 13 mins

To share his culture through food, Chef Tim Ma must defy monosodium glutamate's unsavory reputation.

Jeff Mertz - UNITED STATES | 19 mins

As a 4th-generation onion farmer on the post-glacial black dirt of Goshen, NY, Chris is just one of millions of farmers in America facing the unnecessarily Sisyphusian task of earning a living. ""Muckville"" takes us on a journey through time on the Pawelski farm, from Polish immigration in the early 20th century, through the onset of climate change-driven crop failures in the 1990s and subsequent pitfalls of US agriculture policy, to Chris's resulting existential crisis and suicidal ideation. This short documentary provides rare insight into the ongoing mental health epidemic on American farms, and paints a delicate and emotional portrait of resilience and love amid unbeatable odds.

Sue Williams - UNITED STATES | 12 mins

At their Minneapolis restaurant Chef Sean Sherman and business partner Dana Thomson are exploring their native cultural heritages by re-creating pre-Colonial menus, combining the past with the best in modern farming practices to create more sustainable and ethical food systems.

Emrys Eller - UNITED STATES | 24 mins

Farming in Alaska has many challenges, but this community of growers find meaning in the dirt. This short documentary portrait follows five food producers through a year of agriculture, some near retirement and some kids just getting started. As small farms across the country decline, one Alaskan community's farm numbers sore.

Odveig Klyve - NORWAY | 7 mins

The film follows a baker through the entire process from flour to finished bread. He bakes the bread in a 250-year-old stone oven, and uses no machines when making the dough. The film shows the beauty and creativity of a craft process that is threatened by efficiency and mass production.

Gelareh Kiazand - IRAN | 21 mins

In the era of food sustainability, Hanif Sadr, an engineer turned chef from Tehran, Iran, has opened his first Iranian regional restaurant in San Francisco, USA. He delved into the farm to table gastronomy world after working as a cook for a Montessori school in Berkley. His mission is to introduce the regional and seasonal recipes of Northern Iran, learnt from his childhood, to the North American public where its ingredients geographically match California. With his wife banned from the US and a lack of distribution of Iranian food ingredients due to sanctions, he travels back and forth between Iran and the U.S, attempting to bridge the personal and political to bring back a taste of home. Alongside other renowned food figures Hanif aims to show the depth of a unique forgotten cuisine that is connected with nature, influenced by seasons, and which defines the art of preservation techniques.

Vicki Van Chau - CANADA | 6 mins

'Pulled Strings' is a short film that blends together traditional Chinese food and music, demonstrating the passing down of culture and traditions between generations. Exploring the intricate connection between the strands of the noodles with the strings of the instruments, it creates a poetic montage that emphasizes the beauty of Chinese craft and culture, and the unspoken relationship between a father and his daughter.

Subei Kyle - UNITED STATES | 12 mins

RAMINI navigates the day-to-day maintenance of the farm. It showcases Audrey's unique sustainable farming approach - one that demonstrates a mutually beneficial relationship between animal and farmer - as well as her deep bond with the water buffalo in her care.

Sarah Wray - CANADA | 15 mins

In Canada, 58% of the food we produce is wasted. Cattle play a key role in combating food waste in Canada by transforming products humans cannot or will not eat into a highly nutritious protein for humans. Reduce, Reuse, Ruminate is a short documentary that highlights this amazing upcycling ability of cattle and their important role in diverting food loss and waste from landfills. Whether it is unavoidable byproducts of brewing beer or potato peels from manufacturing French fries, cattle can transform this products into beef. This represents an incredible sustainability story for our food system, highlighting the circular economy and zero waste strategies utilized by farmers.

Lucy Walkowiak - UNITED STATES | 6 mins

A profile of Rich, a Freegan in New York City, and his exploits in dumpster diving.

Dhiney Ramos - NETHERLANDS | 28 mins

Jan makes sauerkraut in a traditional way. The agricultural micro-entrepeneur Jan surprises the film-maker by showing him his small world, where he lives in harmony with his products and his family. Jan grows his own food without using pesticides and in that way shares part of his crop with nature. “We can all live off nature‚” says Jan.

Maya Anandan - INDIA | 12 mins

Can selfless service be a model for food security?

Tati Ngyuen - UNITED STATES | 25 mins

A profile of a maverick, John McFadden, stewarding his family's legacy, Staubitz Market - NYC's oldest butcher shop, at 106 years young, it is a precarious balancing act to preserve the tradition of excellence - supporting ethical, local, & sustainable food chain, against the mounting struggles of the small family owned business.

PJ Kotze - SOUTH AFRICA | 37 mins

Ulwandle is a documentary film telling the stories of two lives from the East and West Coasts of South Africa bound to a changing ocean.

iara Lee - GUINEA-BISSAU | 40 mins

In the West African nation of Guinea-Bissau, this thought-provoking film takes you on a journey that follows brave local women who challenge patriarchy by building institutions that promote self-sufficiency through agroecology. They also defy social norms by standing up against female genital mutilation and rejecting forced marriage. Carrying forward the legacy of Amílcar Cabral, the Bissau-Guinean independence leader who placed women's rights at the center of the struggle for liberation, the women of a rising generation are taking their power back.

Trevor Dixon Bennett, Leigh Joseph- CANADA | 23 mins

As Styawat/Leigh Joseph navigates walking between academic and cultural worlds, she contemplates her relationship with plants and their role as teachers. On the land where her ancestors have harvested since time beyond memory, her life purpose is awakened.

N/A - UNITED STATES | 28 mins

New York Harbor was once a haven of incredible underwater biodiversity—until centuries of pollution turned it into a cesspool. Today, an alliance of architects, restaurateurs, scientists, and high school students is working to restore the harbor and protect the city from climate change. At the heart of the effort is a tiny creature with an outsized talent for cleanup: the extraordinary oyster. WILD HOPE is a series that highlights the conservation changemakers who are sparking new hope for the future of our planet.

N/A - UNITED STATES | 28 mins

Decades of war and unsustainable agriculture have stripped almost half the trees from the rainforest atop Mozambique’s Mount Gorongosa. The devastation threatens the watershed that sustains life in nearby communities and in Gorongosa National Park. Now, park experts and local farmers are uniting to plant a new shade-loving cash crop—coffee—that will help restore the forest and ensure a more prosperous future for humans and wildlife alike. WILD HOPE is a series that highlights the conservation changemakers who are sparking new hope for the future of our planet.

Alison Bartlett - UNITED STATES | 13 mins

What does the Big Lebowski, Ben and Jerry's Brand, Brownies and Monks have in common? Zen Brownie narrated by Oscar Winner Jeff Bridges tells the tale of Buddhist Monks and a local Bakery, in Yonkers, NY, and how leading with inclusivity, kindness, and compassion has created a well-known profitable business in Greyston Bakery. Emmy Nominated & Award-Winning Actress/Writer/Director Alison Bartlett in partnership with Professor Michael Pirson (Stoner Chair for Global Sustainability's Fordham University) delve into the Humanistic Model Management and the philosophy behind and applying it to real world business through Open Hiring.