The 2015 Flatirons Food Film Festival screened six new feature-length films and several short films exploring:

The crucial role of soil in supporting life and combating climate change
A Latina single mother’s quest to become a sushi chef
A celebrated chef’s passion to serve authentic Northeastern Thai cuisine
Profiles of artisanal foods and their producers
A search for the origins of an iconic Chinese-American dish
The long proud history of American Jewish delis, embodied by a third-generation deli owner
Agricultural and social principles designed to improve the environment
A community who overhauled their school food system

Monday, October 19

This film program is screening in conjunction with the An Evening with Sandor Katz event at 6:30 in the Muenzinger Auditorium lobby. The event will include a book signing with Katz and a fermented food fair.

7:30pm, Muenzinger Auditorium, CU-Boulder campus

SandorKraut (documentary, 13 min.)
This documentary is a portrait of acclaimed author and self-described “fermentation fetishist” Sandor Katz, whose revival of ancient culinary practices has transformed his relationship with life and death.

Symphony of the Soil (documentary, 104 min.)
Sponsored by Fresh Thymes Eatery and Ozuké with support from the Denver chapter of Chefs Collaborative
Symphony of the Soil is a documentary that explores the critical role that soil plays in supporting life and the environment. According to New York Times critic Jeannette Catsoulis, “Unfolding with gentle joy and an unexpected beauty, this ode to the miracle of the Earth’s topmost layer gives us a new-found respect for the ground beneath our feet.”

Thursday, October 22

7:30pm, Nomad Playhouse, 1410 Quince Ave, Boulder

From Japan with Love (and Dashi) (documentary, 4 min.)
In From Japan with Love (and Dashi), the James Beard Award-winning Perennial Plate presents an energetic and colorful montage of contemporary Japan with striking culinary images and a hyperkinetic pace.
East Side Sushi (dramedy, 100 min.)
Sponsored by Northeast Seafood Products
East Side Sushi is a dramedy about a single Latina mother who aspires to become a sushi chef despite gender and cultural discrimination. Introduction by filmmaker Anthony Lucero. He will participate in a Q&A session after the films.

Friday, October 23

This program is preceded at 6:30 by a book signing with Andy Ricker, a demo and tasting by chef Lon Symensma, owner and chef of ChoLon and Cho77 in Denver, and a tasting of Pok Pok-style chicken wings by chef Theo Adley, in the Muenzinger Auditorium lobby.

7:30pm, Muenzinger Auditorium, CU-Boulder campus

Sikh Formaggio (documentary, 22 min.) As the younger generation has moved from the Italian countryside to cities, agriculture and the makers of artisan foods have had to adapt to new circumstances. Northern Italy’s cheese industry was no exception. By employing over 10,000 Sikh immigrants, it has made sure that there will be parmesan cheese on our tables. Sikh Formaggio documents the absorption of Sikh immigrants into the heart of the Italian cheese industry.

Farang – The Story of Chef Andy Ricker (documentary, 64 min.)
This documentary explores how celebrated chef Andy Ricker turned a long-term obsession with Northeastern Thai food into a multi-state restaurant empire. The film follows Ricker through a lifetime of culinary obsessions from childhood through May 2013.

Saturday, October 24

4-6pm, Boulder Public Library, Canyon Theater, 1001 Arapahoe Rd., Boulder

An Afternoon of Artisanal and Local Food Films
Sponsored by Boulder County Farmers Market
This collection of short documentaries on artisan and local foods make up the festival’s first program that consists exclusively of short films. It came about because of a plethora of excellent short films about the art of local and handmade food, on subjects ranging from urban foraging to the traditional cuisine of local Sicilian religious festivals.

7pm, Muenzinger Auditorium, CU-Boulder campus

FOOD (documentary, 4 min.)rians, and meat eaters about their opinions about food and life choices. Then, she animated real food with stop-motion technique based on the interviews. By putting the conversations in a different context, the food speaks for itself.
The Search for General Tso (documentary, 75 min.)
This documentary travels the globe in search of the origins of General Tso’s chicken, a staple of Chinese-American restaurants, and how it came to represent the cuisine of an entire nation. Director Ian Cheney’s inquiry turns up surprising revelations and humorous characters. While immersed in food, it also serves as a story of the American immigrant experience.

9:15pm, Muenzinger Auditorium, CU-Boulder campus

Culinary Dreams (documentary, 4 min.) Muenzinger Auditorium, CU-Boulder campus
The comedic fantasy Culinary Dreams follows one man’s happy dream of being a pasta dish to its anxious denouement.
Deli Man (documentary, 91 min.)
Sponsored by Snarf’s Sandwiches
This documentary profiles famous delicatessens past and present, using the story of third-generation deli man Ziggy Gruber to pull together a history of Jewish culture, cuisine, and immigrant experiences. Features Jerry Stiller, Larry King, and Fyvush Finkel.

Sunday, October 25

This screening is preceded by a permaculture backyard tour in South Boulder. Tours at 1:20pm and 1:40pm.

2:30pm, Muenzinger Auditorium, CU-Boulder campus

Ferment (documentary, 8 min.)
In this intimate portrait of Sandor Katz, Ferment follows him at home in Tennessee, chopping vegetables and capturing his philosophical perspective on fermentation. At one point, Katz says, “Fermentation is also an engine for social change,” an illustration of his belief in the profundity of fermentation.
Inhabit: A Permaculture Perspective (documentary, 92 min.)
Sponsored by Harlequin’s Gardens This documentary delves into permaculture, a design process that aims to meet human needs while increasing the health and well-being of our planet. Permaculture principles are based on the replication of patterns found in nature. Inhabit provides an intimate look at permaculture peoples and practices from rural, suburban, and urban landscapes.

7-9:15pm, Muenzinger Auditorium, CU-Boulder campus

Slow Food Bites: Food for Thought (documentary, 5:22 min.)
Slow Food Bites: Food for Thought, made last year when filmmaker Julia Casey was a student at New Vista High School in Boulder, looks at the BVSD School Food Project.
Lunch Love Community: A Community Gathering About School Food Reform
Sponsored by Bauman College and the BVSD School Food Project
Samples of a Boulder Valley School District lunch will be available before the event, courtesy of the BVSD School Food Project
The Lunch Love Community series of short documentaries examines how a coalition of parents, educators, public health advocates, and food system reformers united to change how children eat, how they learn in school, and how to restore healthy food systems in a climate-changing world. The groundbreaking Berkeley School Lunch Initiative has moved kids into the gardens and into the kitchens. They’ve changed the school food, and they’re making education and nutrition policy history. We will screen several short films from the series as part of a community gathering on school food reform in Boulder County.

The Flatirons Food Film Festival is part of the International Film Series (IFS) at the University of Colorado. For information on the International Film Series, visit www.internationalfilmseries.com.