April 22, 6:30-7:45 pm in the OB Auditorium: Garrett Graddy, UK Geography Graduate Student. The source of our food – the seed – is the topic of this presentation. Open pollinated versus hybrid versus genetically modified seeds and their global distribution result in misery or bounty for those who plant the seed. On Earth Day, come and learn about the political ecology of seed.
Films: With food and agriculture (food protests and even riots, biofuels production, mal- and over-nutrition, to name a few) in the news, these films may be of interest:
• April 21 at 6:30 pm in the Oswald Auditorium: The Future of Food (88 minutes)
The Future of Food (88 minutes), 6:30 p.m. in the OB Auditorium. Description: “THE FUTURE OF FOOD offers an in-depth investigation into the disturbing truth behind the unlabeled patented genetically engineered foods that have quietly filled U.S. grocery store shelves for the past decade. From the prairies of Saskatchewan Canada to the fields of Oaxaca Mexico this film gives a voice to farmers whose lives and livelihoods have been negatively impacted by this new technology. The health implications government policies and push towards globalization are all part of the reason why many people are alarmed about the introduction of genetically altered crops into our food supply. Shot on location in the U.S. Canada and Mexico The Future of Food examines the complex web of market and political forces that are changing what we eat as huge multinational corporations seek to control the world's food system. The film also explores alternatives to large-scale industrial agriculture placing organic and sustainable agriculture as real solutions to the farm crisis today. The Future of Food reveals that there is a revolution going on in the farm fields and on the dinner tables of America a revolution that is transforming the very nature of the food we eat.”
• April 23 at 7:00 pm in the Oswald Auditorium: King Corn (90 minutes)
King Corn (90 minutes), 7:00 p.m. in the OB Auditorium, with discussion facilitated by Michael Benton. Description: “Engrossing and eye-opening KING CORN is a fun and crusading journey into the digestive tract of our fast food nation where one ultra-industrial pesticide-laden heavily-subsidized commodity dominates the food pyramid from top to bottom - corn. Fueled by curiosity and a dash of naivety college buddies Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis return to their ancestral home of Greene Iowa to figure out how a modest kernel conquered America. With the help of some real farmers oodles of fertilizer and government aid and some genetically modified seeds the friends manage to grow one acre of corn. Along the way they unlock the hilarious absurdities and scary but hidden truths about America's modern food system."A graceful and frequently humorous film that captures the idiosyncrasies of its characters and never hectors" (Salon) KING CORN shows how and why whenever you eat a hamburger or drink a soda you are really consuming corn.”
• April 24 at 6:30 pm in the Oswald Auditorium: Fast Food Nation (114 minutes)
Fast Food Nation (114 minutes), 6:30 p.m. in the OB Auditorium. Short review: “If you're still eating that fast-food burger after watching Super Size Me, you might not feel too hungry after watching Fast Food Nation, a fictionalized feature based on Eric Schlosser's bestselling nonfiction expose. Director Richard Linklater, who co-wrote the screenplay with Schlosser, guides a topnotch ensemble cast through a peek behind the veil of how that Big Mac is born. Much of the film focuses on the illegal immigrants who work in the loosely regulated meat-packing industry, and actors including the luminous Catalina Sandino Moreno (Maria Full of Grace), who plays a desperate but outraged laborer. Greg Kinnear also delivers a spot-on performance as a fast-food chain marketing manager, trying frantically to discover the source of stomach-turning contamination in the company's meat. Stories are woven in unexpected ways, and cameos by the likes of Kris Kristofferson, Patricia Arquette, and especially Bruce Willis keep the narrative fresh. The film has a point of view, but thanks to Linklater's deft touch, is never didactic. As Willis's character slyly says, ‘Most people don't like to be told what's best for them.’ Agreed, yet Fast Food Nation likely will help the viewer be more conscious of what's on the end of that fork.” --A.T. Hurley
9 comments:
Well said and nice view!
What was well said and what view was expressed... kind of a ridiculous statement considering the post?
We just wanted to say that your review of 'Fast Food Nation' was spot-on and we agree with your views on fast food and the after-effects of it.
Oh sorry :)
That was A.T. Hurley, the person who asked me to post about the show included it as a description.
Don't mind me, I get grumpy the last week of the semester--I liked browsing your concise reviews and enjoy the films you choose.
No problem :) Thanks for stopping by our blog.
What did you think of the Future of Food movie?
You know I love docs, but the downside of things like this is it makes me... freaked, depressed, don't know what the right word is to express how I feel ... about how we allow corporations to do bad things to us in the name of profit and so many are cool with that. Which makes me want to be ignorantly blissful too at times, but not. Damn it.
I'd like to show this film to my high school students as a sort of end-of-the-year wake up call. I think it would pair nicely with the "Global Footprint" series.
Susannity, I didn't get to see the future of food b/c i was teaching then.
Ameye, which film did you want to use. We have copies of all of them in our library (we bought them)
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