BEAUTIFUL FOOD STORIES ARE BEING TOLD NOW

Beautiful stories about food, how it’s grown, prepared, eaten, and loved, come alive in a new collection of fascinating and inspiring documentary films, curated by the BeautifulNow team. Check them out below.

STEAK (R)EVOLUTION

If you love, love, love to eat meat, Steak (R)evolution, a new documentary by filmmaker Franck Ribière is a must see.

With the return to smaller scale, sustainable farming practices, farm-to-table food, and a higher level of culinary sensibilities, there is a renewed interest in how meat is farmed, butchered, and prepared.

Ribière comes from a family of cattle ranchers. Chefs, farmers, butchers, chefs, journalists, and other meat experts tell him their stories and share their thoughts on this meat (r)evolution.

THE BIRTH OF SAKÉ

Sure, you may have had plenty to sip with your sushi but your mind will likely be blown when you watch The Birth of Saké, a cinematic documentary that tells the story of the people and the grueling, yet poetic process at the world class Yoshida Brewery in northern Japan.

Yoshida has been a family owned business for 144 years. Workers, who range in age from 20 to 70, do everything by hand, according to a 2,000-year-old tradition. Their lives are dedicated to their craft.

Director Erik Shirai and producer Masako Tsumura lived among the workers at the brewery as they filmed the relatively unknown process (even within Japan), of traditional saké making.

CHEF’S TABLE

Director David Gelb’s new documentary series, Chef’s Table, a new Netflix-exclusive, delves into the stories of 6 of the world’s most extraordinary chefs, with an hour-long episode dedicated to each.

Get to know Chef’s Table chefs: Dan Barber (Blue Hill, NYC); Niki Nakayama (N/Naka, Los Angeles); Massimo Bottura (Osteria Francescana, Italy); Magnus Nilsson (Fäviken, Sweden); Ben Shewry(Attica, Australia); and Francis Mallmann (Restaurante Patagonia Sur, Argentina).

Each chef has pioneered his own style of cooking and has elevated it to master-level artistry. Each story is told by the chefs and by their friends, family, and colleagues.

See more about our visit with Dan Barber in our post Better Food Better World.

'ĀINA: THAT WHICH FEEDS US

Tropical paradises are among the most susceptible places on the planet when it comes to climate change and other human-created crises.

'ĀINA: That Which Feeds Us is a new film, by directors Dave Mossop and Josh Thome, that looks at the conflict between agrochemical giants and the traditional farmers of Kauai, one of the Hawaiian islands.

'ĀINA means “That Which Feeds Us” in the Hawaiian language. And it is this sentiment about the planet Earth that has guided the people of Kauai, in making sound choices in how they manage their land, their food supply, and those that might threaten it.

View the film trailer here.

AIN’T THAT A BLESSING

Experience down home Southern cooking at its most traditional and finest in Ain’t That a Blessing, a new documentary, produced by The Post and Courier.

The film looks into the story of the traditional annual autumnal week-long camp meetings that have been held by Christian groups in rural Dorchester County, South Carolina for centuries.

Meet Gladys Smith, head camp cook who is responsible for feeding throngs of people, including a few prominent politicians. "You look up to them and pray to God you have enough food," says Smith.

Fried chicken, stewed rutabagas, collards, and 3 colors of rice are the fare, all cooked on a wood burning stove.

GROWING LOCAL: SEEDING A DREAM

Growing Local: Seeding a Dream is the story of a young farm couple who mortgaged their lives to fund their mission: to revitalize a fertile piece of farmland in Maine.

Directed by Bridget Besaw, Seedlight Pictures collaborated with the Maine Farmland Trust to produce this film, along with 2 others, to tell compelling and visually captivating stories about the farming communities in rural Maine.

Young farmers Ben and Taryn Marcus restore the farmland and transform the farm store into a thriving community food hub. It was a labor of love, yet still they struggle.

THE SPALDING OYSTER: JOHNNY HOY AND THE GREAT POND

Love oysters? The Spaulding Oyster: Johnny Hoy and the Great Pond, a new documentary about the oysters of the beautiful remote Tisbury Great Pond, on Martha’s Vineyard, MA, considered by many to be the finest oysters in the world.

The film, directed by Conor Hagen, tells the story of one oysterman, named Johnny Hoy, as it tracks his daily routines.

Watch the trailer here.

PASTA WITH RATATOUILLE

Pasta with Ratatouille, directed by Massimo Zambiasi, offers a close-up view of the preparation of the Provencal classic dish. It is, in essence, a video recipe.

Winner of In the Raw Best Food Porn Award at The Food Film Festival – NYC 2015 Slotted Spoon Awards.

BABY GOT KALE

Baby Got Kale is a documentary that tells the story of the Ha family, of Bakersfield, California, who hopes to inspire healthy eating habits with their parody music video that recently debuted on YouTube.

It’s all about the veggies here. Watch their funky message on their YouTube page.

The parody talks about all kinds of veggies that are good for you, from kale to quinoa and makes it look like a lot of fun to be healthy.

CHANGING SEASON: ON THE MASUMOTO FAMILY FARM

Changing Season: On the Masumoto Family Farm chronicles a year in the life of famed farmer, slow food advocate, and sansei, David “Mas” Masumoto and his family, of the Masumoto Family peach farm.

Mas’ daughter Nikiko, returns to the farm to take over the reins.

Mas, a former prisoner of war held in American internment camps, navigates his changing relationship with his daughter, as she takes on her role as a queer, progressive farmer in the Central Valley.

Read more about Beautiful Storytelling, as it relates to Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact including New Beautiful Stories Unfold at Sundance Festival 2016 and New Nature, Science, & Tech Stories Unfold at Sundance 2016.

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IMAGE CREDITS:

1. Image: Courtesy of La Ferme Productions. Steak (R)evolution.
2. Image: Courtesy of La Ferme Productions. Steak (R)evolution.
3. Image: Courtesy of The Birth of Saké. The Birth of Saké.
4. Image: Courtesy of The Birth of Saké. The Birth of Saké.
5. Image: Courtesy of Boardwalk Pictures & City Room Creative. Chef’s Table.
6. Image: Courtesy of Boardwalk Pictures & City Room Creative. Chef’s Table.
7. Image: Courtesy of Living Ancestors & Sherpas Cinema. ‘ĀINA: That Which Feeds Us.
8. Image: Courtesy of The Post and Courier. Ain’t That a Blessing.
9. Image: Courtesy of Growing Local Films. Growing Local: Seeding a Dream.
10. Image: Courtesy of Beetlebung Farm. The Spaulding Oyster: Johnny Hoy and the Great Pond.
11. Image: Courtesy of Massimo Zambiasi. Pasta with Ratatouille.
12. Image: Courtesy of Baby Got Kale.
13. Image: Courtesy of Changing Season: On the Masumoto Family Farm.
14. Image: Courtesy of Changing Season: On the Masumoto Family Farm.
15. Image: Courtesy of Growing Local Films. Growing Local: Seeding a Dream.
16. Image: by BN App - Download now!
17. Image: Courtesy of Boardwalk Pictures & City Room Creative. Chef’s Table.