The 2016 Flatirons Food Film Festival screened seven films and several short films.
Thursday, Oct. 20
Canyon Theater, Boulder Public Library
7:30 pm Dough (drama, 94 mins)
Bob the Baker (documentary, 3:26 mins) looks at Bob Smith, owner of the now-defunct Carondelet Bakery in St. Louis, MO. He started working at the bakery when he was 13, bought the business, and had been baking bread for over 47 years when the film was made.
Dough is the tale of an elderly Jewish baker (Jonathan Pryce of Brazil and Game of Thrones) in Britain who struggles to keep his business afloat until his young Muslim apprentice drops cannabis in the dough and sends sales sky high.
Friday, Oct. 21
eTown Hall
7:30 pm, Chefs Night at eTown Hall: A Celebration of Munchies Films
This collection of short documentaries showcases the diverse offerings of Munchies, a website and digital video channel from VICE dedicated to food and its global purpose. Our evening includes films about acclaimed chef Danny Bowien of the Mission Chinese Food restaurants; a gourmet weed dinner at Hunter S. Thompson’s house; a celebrated Tokyo cocktail bar; and the oysters of the Hog Island Oyster Company.
Saturday, Oct. 22
Canyon Theater, Boulder Public Library
10:45am Food Films for Children
Aimed at children ages five through twelve, the festival’s first children’s program combines eight short food movies created for kids with fun live presentations. It concludes with a visit from some goat friends.
1:30pm Fear No Fruit (documentary, 97 mins)
In Life After Water (documentary, 9:23 mins), Jesus Ramos, a small family farmer, shares his story about what a monumental four years of drought in California means to his business. For both the Central Valley’s farming community and the nation (the region produces more than half of America’s produce), the water shortage is a dire issue.
Fear No Fruit is a documentary about female produce pioneer Frieda Caplan and how she transformed American cuisine by introducing over 200 exotic fruits and vegetables, including kiwis, to the US market. Caplan was a female pioneer in a male-dominated industry. Her two daughters currently run her company, Frieda’s Specialty Produce.
4pm SOMM: Into the Bottle (documentary, 90 mins).
The Papermeal stop-motion series (animation, 3:21 mins) depicts dishes like penne and meatballs and banana splits being made with all of the food and utensils built out of paper.
SOMM: Into the Bottle is a successor to Somm, the popular documentary about wine professionals studying to become Master Sommeliers, this documentary explores the history, politics, pleasure, and tall tales of wine told through the opening of ten very different bottles of wine. It includes many of the same individuals as in the earlier film, including Master Sommelier Dustin Wilson, who will introduce the film.
Wine sampling at 6pm after the SOMM screening for ticket holders of SOMM and City of Gold (must be 21 and over).
7:15pm City of Gold (documentary, 96 mins)
Filmmaker Andrew Gooi returns to Kuala Lumpur, his hometown in Food from Home: Andrew Gooi (documentary, 3:19 mins), to share the story behind the dish he grew up loving, Pig Trotter Vinegar Soup, a Chinese dish combining sweet & sour flavors.
City of Gold is a penetrating portrait of Pulitzer Prize-winning restaurant critic Jonathan Gold and his deep and complex relationship with the food and culture of his city, Los Angeles. Gold, a towering figure in the field of restaurant criticism, was the first food critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for it. He will introduce the film and participate in a discussion about his work with Amanda Faison, food editor of 5280 magazine.
Sunday, Oct. 23
Muenzinger Auditorium, CU-Boulder campus
Consider taking zTrip’s free shuttle between CU-Boulder and downtown Boulder when attending the following films. For more information, see Venues, Parking, and Transportation.
12pm – 4:30pm Wasted Sunday
Both films plus a snack made from wasted food during the intermission.
12pm Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story (documentary, 75 mins)
In One Hundred Thousand Beating Hearts (documentary, 15 minutes), Will Harris, owner of White Oak Pastures, tells us of his evolution from the industrial farming that his father and himself practiced to regenerative and sustainable farming.
Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story examines how nearly 50% of food in the US goes into the trash from the perspective of filmmakers who quit grocery shopping and lived on discarded food for six months.
2pm Theater of Life (documentary, 93 mins)
Theater of Life tells the riveting story of the Refettorio Ambrosiano, an extraordinary soup kitchen in Milan that internationally known chef Massimo Bottura established and ran in response in response to Expo Milano 2015. 40 of the world’s best chefs, including Ferran Adria, Rene Redzepi, Alain Ducasse, Daniel Humm and many others, cooked meals there. All food served was made from the food waste of the Expo. The film also tells the stories of several of the refugees and homeless the Refettorio served.