The Politics and Culture of Food - Filmography
updated (4/05)

United States
International
Feature Films

Anatomy of a springroll. 1993. 1 videocassette (56 min.). A Vietnamese immigrant cooks the dishes of his childhood and keeps his cultural connection alive. VHS 3988

The Awful truth: the complete first season. 2000. 3 videocassettes (300 min.). Shot in his trademark "guerilla video" style, each episode is filled with observations that bridge comedy and controversy and places Michael Moore in the middle of today's hot topics. Episode #10 includes the segment “ Crackers vs. the egg farm”. VHS 6761

Beautiful piggies. 1994. 1 videocassette (28 min.). Revealing self-portrait of Barbara Bader, and the impact her eating disorder has had on her life and the lives of the family members who love her. VHS 4387

Bread, butter and politics. 1984. 1 videocassette (60 min.). More than one million residents in the Chicago area suffer from severe hunger, often going to bed unsure whether they have food for the next day. Examines the question of whether large numbers of Americans going to bed hungry as they did before the huge increases in federal food programs a decade ago. Looks at the widespread and growing problem of hunger in the United States and the efforts of various government agencies, commissions, and individuals to deal with it. Discussion centers around the issue of whether the budget cuts of the Reagan administration in the early 1980s increased hunger. VHS 4963

Classic recipes for Jewish cooking. 1999. 1 videocassette (120 min.). Joan Nathan works alongside wonderful home cooks to reveal age-enduring classic recipes tailored for today's tastes. Includes recipes for: challah, gefilte fish, chicken soup with matzoh balls, brisket, potato latkes and chocolate cheesecake. VHS 5890

Dance for a chicken: the Cajun Mardi Gras. 1993. 1 videocassette (57 min.). Presents footage of a traditional Cajun Mardi Gras celebration centered around chickens. VHS 3068

Diet wars. 2004. 1 videodisc (56 min.). Looks at the array of weight loss programs from Atkins to Weight Watchers and shows the contradictory principles in each. DVD 1041

Family business. Middletown. 1992. 1 videocassette (90 min.). Takes a look at the daily routine of the Snider family as their lives revolve around the family operated business, a Shakey’s Pizza franchise. The focus is on the father's attempt to stay in business, with reactions and opinions from the family. VHS 1831

Fast food women. 1991. 1 videocassette (29 min.). Looks at the live of the women who prepare the food at four different fast food restaurants in eastern Kentucky. These women, mostly middle-aged with children to raise, are often the sole source of income for their families. They work for salaries barely above minimum wage, have trouble getting full-time hours because of their employer's scheduling policies, and are without benefits. Scenes of women working at the various restaurants are included in this look at the other side of the counter. VHS 1833

Fat. 1998. 1 videocassette (60 min.). Program "examines how the diet industry is contributing to our frustration over unwanted pounds and asks if one can be healthy, fit, beautiful - and fat." -- Container. VHS 5698

Fine food fine pastries: open 6 to 9. 1989. 1 videocassette (29 min.). Explores the culture and history of Sherrill's Restaurant and Bakery, which has served as a neighborhood gathering place on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, since the Depression. Presents interviews with, and shows the daily activities of the waitresses, owners, and regular customers of Sherrill's. Illustrates how this unique restaurant has become a vital part of the ritual of a city community. VHS 1304

Fit or fat for the 90's. 1991. 1 videocassette (77 min.). Translating the complex mechanisms of muscle chemistry and fat metabolism into terms the average person can understand, Covert Bailey shows how the right combination of diet and exercise can bring about permanent weight loss and contribute to physical fitness. VHS 1562

Food Lion vs. PrimeTime Live: jury finds ABC guilty of fraud. 1998? 1 videocassette (16 min). Using segments of the ABC News PrimeTime Live broadcast on Nov. 5 and Nov. 12, 1992 and also segments edited out, film discusses the fraudulent behavior of ABC News PrimeTime Live during its investigation of Food Lion supermarkets. Film, made for Food Lion, points out that although there was over 43 hours of tape, ABC edited it down to 10 min. of on-air time. Film argues that ABC set out to create news, not report it, and edited its material to support a predetermined point of view. VHS 5616

Garlic is as good as ten mothers. 1980. 1 videocassette (51 min.). Celebrates the virtues of garlic, from a Chinese restaurant's sizzling wok to the stuffed piglet specialty of Berkeley's Chez Panisse and the garlic festival at Gilroy, Calif. Garlic enthusiasts describe the bulb's role in history, its medicinal qualities, and their own favorite garlic concoctions. VHS 395

Gefilte fish. 1984. 1 videocassette (14 min.). A light-hearted look at the way three different generations of women prepare the traditional delicacy. Provides cooking instructions and chuckles, as well as a short examination of the ways people try to reconcile tradition with modern life. VHS 3185

H-2 worker. 1990. 1 videocassette (67 min.). Examines the exploitation of Jamaican laborers by the Florida sugar cane industry. VHS 1581

Harvest of fear. 2001. 1 videocassette (120 min.). In "Harvest of Fear," Frontline and Nova explore the intensifying debate over genetically-modified (gm) food crops. Interviewing scientists, farmers, biotech and food industry representatives, government regulators, and critics of biotechnology, this two-hour report presents both sides of the debate, exploring the risks and benefits, the hopes and fears, of this new technology. VHS 6836

Harvest of shame. 198-. 1 videocassette (54 min.). On-the-scene reports in seven states show the degradation and exploitation of millions of migratory farm workers in the United States who are moved from state to state in trucks, live in crowded, unsanitary huts, and work long hours for little pay. Spokesmen for the groups present their views both for and against the use of migratory workers under the conditions seen. VHS 1566

Hidden cameras, hard choices. 1997. 1 videocassette (46 min.). ABC News looks at the way it collects information - in particular its use of the hidden camera in photojournalism. Discussion arises because of the legal case in which Food Lion sued ABC News because of hidden camera coverage used in a 1992 PrimeTime Live story. In that story Diane Sawyer presented an undercover investigation of Food Lion supermarkets, exposing internal labor problems and major food handling blunders. Food Lion won the case and received 5.5 million dollars in punitive damages. VHS 4853

The Human body: appearance, shape and self-image. 1998. 1 videocassette (37 min.). Examines facets of the human body that impact our preferences, our ideals, our attitudes and our self-image. Covers basic attitudes of people (primarily young people) toward their bodies and how what they think is influenced by their culture. Discusses the rationale behind tattooing, branding and body piercing, cosmetic surgery, and eating disorders. Looks at how the media portrays women and the prejudice against being over weight. VHS 5600

In our children's food. 1993. 1 videocassette (56 min.). Traces the 30-year history of U.S. pesticide use, regulation, and scientific study and explores what is and is not known about the risks of agricultural chemicals in our food. Also examines how the government has failed to certify the safety of pesticides and why the only source of data on pesticide safety is the industry that profits from them. VHS 2552

Marketing booze to blacks. 1990. 1 videocassette (17 min.) ; sd., col. Beer, wine and liquor companies spend more than $2 billion each year promoting their products - and one of their main targets is Afro-Americans. Film examines the impact of alcoholism and other alcohol-related problems in the black community, looks at the messages in alcohol ads and raises questions about the industry's support of civic groups. VHS 1897

Migrant. 1976. 1 videocassette (52 min.). Shows problems of migrant workers in Florida: wages, living conditions, education, and relations with growers. VHS 5516

Mirror for the heart: facing eating disorders . 1996. 1 videocassette (24 min.). Examines the hidden behavior, stress, denial, and cycle of guilt and shame that underlie eating disorders. Shows how women can find relief in sharing their stories with others. Stresses the importance of proper treatment and professional help. VHS 4209

Modern meat. 2002. 1 videocassette (60 min.). "A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control found that a single fast-food hamburger contained beef from more than 100 cows. In the last few decades, American meat production has become a highly mechanized and centralized industry, bringing about significant changes not only in the way meat is produced but also in the way Americans eat. These changes have forced the U.S.Department of Agriculture to institute a new meat inspection process, which gives far greater control to the powerful meat industry. In this program, FRONTLINE investigates the modern meat industry and the safety of our current meat supply."--http://www.shop.pbs.org. VHS 7305

The National nutrition quiz. 1985. 1 videocassette (60 min.). Health advocates David Watts and Jane Brody ask true-false and multiple-choice questions on physical fitness, health, diet, and nutrition. Answers are provided by experts from across the country. Protective and destructive properties of the food we eat are given in relationship to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. VHS 1849

New harvest, old shame. 1990. 1 videocassette (59 min.). Nearly 30 years after Edward R. Murrow's landmark broadcast "Harvest of Shame," this program follows the migrant farm workers' stream to Florida - as Murrow did - and finds that conditions are still shockingly similar to those thirty years earlier. Discusses the poor living conditions of migrant farm workers in the United States. Interviews conducted with workers, government officials, and growers illustrate the lack of services available to migrant workers and the poverty that passes from generation to generation. VHS 788

No grapes. 1992. 1 videocassette (14 min.). About deadly dangerous pesticides used on grapes fields and their consequences in the population and in the environment. VHS 6921

One on every corner: Manhattan's Greek-owned coffee shops. 1986. 1 videocassette (45 min.). Portrays Greek-owned and operated coffee shops and restaurants in Manhattan, focusing on their strategies for success and their attitudes toward patrons. Includes views of employees and patrons. Also shows the assimilation of immigrants in America. VHS 5669

Orange. 1970. 1 videocassette (3 min.). Close-up shots of a person peeling and eating an orange. VHS 1990

Perfectly frank. 1984. 1 videocassette (28 min.). Examines the marketing of the chicken frankfurter, a new product by Frank Perdue. After 10 years of research and development the chicken frank is being introduced with a $2 million television campaign. VHS 292

Production notes: fast food for thought. 1986. 1 videocassette (28 min.). As the title and subtitle imply, a collection of production notes for television commercials advertising fast foods. VHS 1396

Recovering bodies: overcoming eating disorders. 1997. 1 videocassette (34 min.). Focuses not simply on people's problems with food, but on the renewed hope for a healthy life that the process of recovery can provide. Presents the stories and testimonies of seven college students, showing the wide range of pressures that can lead to disordered eating. Discusses the psychological and physical symptoms of eating disorders. VHS 5363

A Season in hell. 1989. 1 videocassette (59 min.). A documentary film composed of five years of interwoven personal narratives, recounting the struggles of Regina Hatfield, a young woman from Eastern Kentucky who suffers from anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Beginning with Regina's decision at fourteen to diet after a boy's rejection of her because she was overweight, the film follows her through high school, college, hospitalization, and an engagement. VHS 4252

Slim hopes: advertising and the obsession with thinness. 1995. 1 videocassette (30 min.). Explores the manner in which women are portrayed by advertising with the focus on thinness. Discusses the impact this portrayal has on the self images of women and girls. VHS 3497

Struggle in the fields. Chicano! : history of the Mexican American civil rights movement. 1996. 1 videocassette (57 min.). Examines the efforts of migrant farmworkers to form a national labor union under the leadership of Cesar Chavez. Under the leadership of nonviolence advocate Cesar Chavez, farmworkers launched a strike against California grape growers in 1965, demanding better working conditions and fair wages. In 1970, they undertook a national table grape boycott that eventually led to the first union contracts in farm labor history. An important milestone in the struggle was the passage of the California Labor Relations Act. VHS 4212

Super size me. 2004. 1 videodisc (ca. 96 min.). Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock embarks on a journey to find out if fast food is making Americans fat. For 30 days he can't eat or drink anything that isn't on McDonald's menu; he must eat three square meals a day, he must eat everything on the menu at least once and supersize his meal if asked. He treks across the country interviewing a host of experts on fast food and a number of regular folk while downing McDonald's to try and find out why 37% of American are now overweight. Spurlock's grueling diet spirals him into a metamorphosis that will make you think twice about picking up another Big Mac. DVD 955

Uneasy neighbors. 1989. 1 videocassette (35 min.). Uses dialog, interviews and narration to show the living conditions, hopes and fears of Mexican migrant labor families living in camps in north San Diego County. More than 150 camps have been closed since 1985, as residential subdivisions for the affluent are established in these once isolated areas. VHS 958

Banana split. 2002. 1 videocassette (47 min.). "Beginning with consumers in a local fruit market; this film winds its way through the hustle and bustle of a major distribution centre, to the daily challenges of everyday life in Honduras. Viewers find out about the history of bananas, the highly sophisticated system of production and transportation involved in bringing the fruit to market, and are introduced to sponsored efforts to help secure the banana as a staple food source in the developing world. In Asia, Africa and Latin America, the banana represents the fine line between life, misery and death for millions of people. Viewers learn not only about bananas, but about the problems of marketing and distribution, the effects of disease and natural disasters, the role played by international development, and are given reason to pause the next time they visit their local fruit seller." --from www.magiclantern.ca. VHS 7342

Black harvest. 1992. 1 videocassette (90 min.). Features a joint business venture between Joe Leahy, a wealthy mixed-race coffee plantation owner, and the Ganiga, an aboriginal tribe in Papua New Guinea. When world coffee prices collapse the workers' wages are drastically reduced and this leads to tribal warfare. VHS 2401

Bugs for breakfast: food & culture. 2001. 1 videocassette (19 min.). Multicultural look at how we eat. VHS 6861

Central America: Costa Rica. Our developing world. 1996. 1 videocassette (20 min.). The topics of economic development, education, and self-help are featured in this program. We see: how the country uses coffee and banana exports to propel itself forward as a developing nation; how and why it chose educating its people over building an army; and how it remains a peaceful democratic anomaly in Latin America. VHS 4525

The Cola conquest: a trilogy. 1998. 3 videocassettes (153 min.). Looks at the extraordinary story of Coca-Cola, "the sublimated essence of all that America stands for," and its century-long battle with arch-rival Pepsi." Takes the viewer from Coke's invention by a morphine-addicted Civil War vet to the brink of the 21st century. The Big Sell: Through a century of image-making with master artists - including the creation of our modern version of Santa - Coke sheds its patent medicine image to become first the drink for young moderns, and finally the most recognized brand name on earth. Coke's success spawns numerous imitations, including Pepsi, which is just another cola until it targets the "Pepsi Generation." With Pepsi's launch of the Michael Jackson campaign, the Cola Wars explode. Cola War and Peace: During World War II, Coca-Cola becomes an essential morale booster for the troops and a worldwide symbol of the American way of life. As the Cold War turns frigid, former Pepsi lawyer, Richard Nixon, gives Pepsi a decade-plus jump on Coke behind the Iron Curtain. But when the Berlin Wall falls, Coca-Cola is there passing out "the taste of freedom." Back at home, Coca-Cola plays a significant role in the American Civil Rights movement and offers a Vietnam War-weary nation the ultimate commercial for world peace. Coca-Colonization: Tea spills in China, wine in France and blood in Guatemala, as Coca-Cola teaches the world to acquire a taste for "The Real Thing." But as Coke - and Pepsi - are busy abroad conquering new markets, upstart colas are ripping at their heels back home. From the jungles of Papua New Guinea to the "Coca-Cola Olympics" in Atlanta, we see the globalization of American pop culture and corporate influence on the souls of nations. VHS 5885

The Colonel comes to Japan. Enterprise series. 1981. 1 videocassette (30 min.). Explains that when an American company sets up shop abroad, special considerations must come into play. This program was made 14 years after the opening of the first Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise in Japan. Three factors for success are discussed by management: a powerful and sympathetic Japanese partner, long range view, and scientific adaptation of marketing to the Japanese consumer. VHS 187

A Day in the life of an African woman farmer . 1991. 1 videocassette (20 min.). In Africa, women produce as much as 80% of the food. Women sow, weed, harvest, store, preserve, process and market food crops. Yet, when strategies to achieve food security in Africa are discussed at the highest levels, women's roles, contributions and needs are frequently ignored. VHS 2436

Eating. Heart of the dragon. 1985. 1 videocassette (57 min.). Compares the markets in China's culinary capital of Canton with the more frugal and ancient agricultural technology of the hundred million people of Szechwan Province. Asks how long China can support a population that, despite birth control, continues to grow at an alarming rate. VHS 5982

The Edge of the world. 2001. 1 videocassette (73 min.). Centers on the story of two families living in a fishing community in the Shetland Islands, who are forced to leave their homes when their waters are fished out. VHS 6591

Fishing in the sea of greed. 1998. 1 videocassette (45 min.). Film looks at the problems faced by traditional Indian fishing communities as the result of the industrial fishing practices of gigantic factory ships and at the problems faced by rice growers due to aqua-culture prawn farming (promoted by such agencies as the World Bank) whose run-off waste causes salination of ground water. Documents efforts of the National Fish Workers Forum and the World Forum of Fishworkers and Fish Harvesters to get the Government of India to cancel fishing licenses to foreign vessels and to implement existing coastal protection laws against industrial pollution, tourism and aqua-culture. VHS 5610

The Global banquet: politics of food. 2001. 1 videocassette (50 min.). Discussion of corporate farming and its global effects. VHS 7695

The Great hunger. The Irish in America. 1998. 1 videocassette (90 min. ). A celebration of a people who helped build America. Segment looks at the beginning of Irish emigration to America beginning in the 17th century and Irish life in the "Old Country" before the Great Hunger. In Ireland the peasants, already among the poorest people in Europe, were reduced to famine conditions after 1845 when a fungal blight hit the potato crop. Film examines various British policies and relief efforts whose failures led more than a million and a half Irish to leave their country. VHS 4801

The Great wine revolution. 1979. 1 videocassette (52 min.). Discusses the impact of burgeoning demand for wine on the tradition-bound wine industry. Explores efforts to produce grapes which are high yielding, disease resistant, and which can be mechanically cultivated, harvested, and fermented. VHS 5678

The Greening of Cuba. 1996. 1 videocassette (38 min.). This video profiles Cuban farmers and scientists working to reinvent a sustainable agriculture, based on ecological principles and local knowledge rather than imported agricultural inputs. In their quest for self-sufficiency, Cubans combine time-tested traditional methods with cutting-edge biotechnology. VHS 7318

The Harvest of the seasons. Ascent of man. 1980. 1 videocassette (60 min.). The lifestyle of the Bakhtiari tribe of central Iran serves as an example of how nomads lived and waged war during the Neolithic age. Shows that the discovery of agriculture allowed man to domesticate plant and animal life, imposing his will on the wild horse and the wild wheat. With these Neolithic cultivators came the mounted nomads and the roots of warfare. VHS 1274

Hot potatoes. 2001. 1 videocassette (ca. 57 min.). The potato late blight that starved Ireland over 150 ago has reappeared with a vengeance. This time the late blight isn't confined to one local, it's hit the world. VHS 7400

Ilha das flores = Isle of flowers. 1990. 1 videocassette (13 min.). A funny but ultimately bitter film from Brazil about values, the food chain, and the human condition as it looks at what becomes of the garbage produced by the inhabitants of Porto Alegre, Brazil. VHS 2926

International business: McDonald's. 2000. 1 videocassette (10 min.). Discusses how the McDonald's restaurant chain has used its ability to adapt to different countries and cultures to become one of the most well-known restaurants in the world. VHS 7689

Jungleburger. 1986. 1 videocassette (52 min.). Film examines the impact - social, cultural and environmental - of the fast food industry on Third World countries. Focuses on the operations of a meat processing plant in Costa Rica that exports meat for the use of the fast food industry in the United States and how this industry has contributed to the depletion of the rain forests and the drop in meat consumption in Costa Rica. VHS 4695

Land of plenty, land of want. Journey to planet earth. 1999. 1 videocassette (57 min.). A fundamental dilemma faces farmers throughout the world: how do they feed Earth's growing population without endangering the environment. In Zimbabwe, affected by climate change and the vestiges of colonial rule, small scale farmers on marginal lands struggle to survive a drought. In central France remote mountain villages suffer the loss of farmers fleeing to places like Brittany where intensive agriculture has polluted the water and affected the local fisheries. In China an industrial boom is rapidly displacing agricultural land, forcing framers to work the soil more intensively, threatening environmental damage. In Iowa, farmers use high technology to dramatically increased yields, while in Pennsylvania, no-till farming preserves some of the richest topsoil in the world. VHS 6183

Madhur Jaffrey's Far Eastern cookery. 1988. 1 videocassette (60 min.). Presents 16 of Madhur Jaffrey's own favorite dishes from 8 different Asian countries. VHS 3487

Madhur Jaffrey's Indian cookery. 1987. 1 videocassette (121 min.). In this practical step-by-step video, Madhur Jaffrey, using ingredients which are readily available, shows you how to cook eight wonderfully authentic Indian dishes. VHS 3488

Man-made famine. 1986. 1 videocassette (52 min.). When a New Internationalist staff writer noticed that African food production fell despite weather conditions, he and fellow journalists went to investigate. Their conclusions show that the social custom which makes women produce 80% of the food while maintaining the house and providing child care, plus using agricultural land to produce cash crops for export, were bigger factors in African famine than the weather. VHS 2563

McLibel: two worlds collide. 1998? 1 videocassette (53 min.). Filmed over three years, documentary follows Helen Steel and Dave Morris as they struggle to defend themselves against charges of libel brought by the McDonald Corporation in what will become the longest trial in English history. Uses interviews with witnesses and reconstructions of key moments in court to examine the main issues in the trial - nutrition, animals, advertising, employment, the environment - and the implications for freedom of speech. VHS 5369

Milk. Foodessence. 1999. 1 videocassette (23 min.). Cool and white, curdled or cultured, milk takes many forms. The "perfect food" in America has had a very different history elsewhere- and in some cases- not much of a history at all! Now, this sacred of all cows finds itself swirling about in controversy. One culture's contemporary icon of comfort is another's ancient symbol of holiness. "Milk" is part of the 13-part series, Foodessence, that presents food anthropology around the world. Each segment of the series is devoted to creating a cultural and historical context for a single widely-consumed type of food. VHS 6889

Mondo cane. 1983. 1 videocassette (107 min.). A cinematic compilation of believe-it-or-not vignettes in which the social paradoxes turn mostly upon food and sex. Made up of footage of unusual customs and rituals: pig killing, man hunting, women lifeguard corps, pet cemeteries, restaurants serving dog, elderly tourists learning the hula, Ghurkas dressing as women and their ceremonial beheading of a bull, bull fights, shark fisherman who catch killer sharks, automobile wrecking yards and other activities considered normal in some places and very odd in others. VHS 3280

The Perfect famine. Life: Life series 3. 2002. 1 videocassette (27 min.). Part of a series examining the issue of globalization and its effect on ordinary people around the world. In Malawi bad weather, poor governance and profiteering have combined to create famine. This segment looks at the causes of, and solutions to this famine. Although many have thought foreign aid would lift the world's poor out of poverty, there is now a growing consensus that the policies of poor countries and ineffectual bureaucracies can be major obstacles to sustainable development. VHS 7198

Les Plaisirs de la table. 1981. 1 videocassette (25 min.). This tape uses interviews, including one with Lucien Robert, a French restaurateur in Boston, to answer the following questions: How do French and American eating customs differ? What differences are most striking? For the French in the U.S., what customs do they miss most? The participants also discuss recent changes in eating habits in both countries. VHS 5382

Price of aid. 2004. 1 videocassette (ca. 56 min.). "The Price of Aid reveals the vast bureaucratic network of American aid agencies involved in the 'hunger business,' one in which rich countries benefit from the problems of poor countries. U.S. aid policies are explained in interviews with representatives from the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Coalition for Food Aid, CARE, the World Bank, the Farm and Foreign Agriculture Service, the Food for Peace Program, and U.S. government officials. It discusses this complex issue in a global context, including the role of the international media in identifying famine crises, how America's export of genetically modified foods creates problems for African agriculture and public health, how foreign aid is involved in trade competition between the U.S. and European countries, and how assistance provided by the European Commission for Humanitarian Aid differs from U.S. policies. In the end, THE PRICE OF AID questions how America's well-intentioned foreign-aid program has spawned a self-serving relationship between humanitarian aid and American business and politics." --www.frif.com. VHS 7752

Save the earth - feed the world. Race to save the planet. 1990. 1 videocassette (57 min.). Discusses the need to find alternatives to chemical-dependent farming. Includes examples of farmers who use traditional practices to work with rather than against nature.

Seeing is believing. Life: Life series 3. 2002. 1 videocassette (23 min.). Part of a series examining the issue of globalization and its effect on ordinary people around the world. Health experts have long known that a lack of Vitamin A can lead to serious diseases during childhood, as well as increasing the risk of child and maternal mortality. This segment looks at the country of Zambia as it begins a nationwide program to deliver Vitamin A to its population through sugar fortification as just one part of a multi-pronged strategy. VHS 1004

Sowing seeds of hunger. Life: Life series 3. 2002. 1 videocassette (27 min.). Part of a series examining the issue of globalization and its effect on ordinary people around the world. This segment looks at the AIDS epidemic in Zambia and other sub-Saharan African nations which has crippled the agricultural community, forcing children to undertake the responsibilities of farming. VHS 7204

Sugar slaves. 1995. 1 videocassette (55 min). Descendants of Melanesians who were kidnapped or convinced to emigrate to Australia to work on sugar plantations return to their ancestral homelands to trace their roots. The film explores the exploitation of Melanesian workers, subsequent deportation of many of them and discrimination against the descendants of those who stayed in Australia. VHS 4122

Tales from the global economy: the cappuccino trail. 2002. 1 videocassette (50 min.). By following the trail of two coffee beans grown in the Peruvian Andes, this program looks at the stimulant, which, after oil, is the most globally traded commodity. One of the beans takes the route of the open market where its price is determined by commodities traders and analysts. The other bean finds its way into a gourmet coffee made by a company dedicated to paying fair prices to farmers for their high-quality organic crop. VHS 826

Taste. Mystery of the senses. 1995. 1 videocassette (60 min.). Travel around the world to explore the variety of foods, from a Day of the Dead meal in Mexico to a university lab devoted to studying taste perception. Every meal is a combination of four tastes: sweet, sour, salty and bitter. VHS 4183

Toxic legacies. 2001. 1 videocassette (46 min.). Elizabeth Guillette has studied the differences in the children of the Yaqui Valley of Mexico since 1993. The children of the valley towns are far behind those in the foothills in physical coordination, energy, and learning capabilities. The difference she observed was that pesticides have been used in the valley since the 1950s whereas in the foothills, where there is little agricultural industry, there is practically no pesticide use. The program follows Guillette as she meets with scientists for corroboration and possible solutions. VHS 830

The Trade trap. Life: Life series 3. 2002. 1 videocassette (27 min.). Part of a series examining the issue of globalization and its effect on ordinary people around the world. This segment looks at the struggles by Ghanaian farmers to get a foothold in the international market. The film follows Austustine Adongo, chief executive of the Federation of Associations of Ghanaian Exporters, as he visits farmers and business owners across his country, exploring both sides of the globalization issue along the way. VHS 7196

When Ireland starved. 1992. 1 videocassette (80 min.). Using a combination of period artists' renderings, readings from eye witness accounts and statements by political leaders, and modern day location shots, film looks at the abject poverty of the Irish under British rule and the devastating consequences wrought by the Great Potato Famine and oppressive colonial policies. VHS 3077

A World of food: tastes & taboos in different cultures. University of California video series on nonverbal communication. 2000. 1 videocassette (36 min.). Examines some of the attitudes that make food a fascinating focus of powerful cultural and individual differences. In this film food choices are divided into 7 primary categories and a variety of individuals from various cultures and ethnic and religious affiliations are interviewed concerning what they are willing to eat and why. VHS 7477

301, 302. 1996. orig. 1995. 1 videocassette (98 min.). In a series of provocative and sometimes shocking flashbacks, film explores the relationship between two women who share common, yet completely dissimilar obsessions about food and men. [Apt.] 301 is a divorced, gourmet chef who can - and does - cook anything. Her reclusive neighbor [Apt.] 302, a writer, becomes ill at the mere sight of food. The investigation begins when the young woman in 302 mysteriously disappears, and a detective calls on her neighbor in 301. VHS 5489

Babette's feast. 2001. orig. 1987. 1 videodisc (103 min.). With the mysterious arrival of Babette, a refugee from France's civil war, life for two pious sisters and their tiny hamlet begins to change. Before long, Babette has convinced them to try something other than boiled codfish and ale bread--a gourmet French meal! Her feast scandalizes the elders, except for the visiting General. Just who is this strangely talented Babette, who has terrified this pious town with the prospect of losing their souls for enjoying too much earthly pleasure? Includes original theatrical trailer. DVD 627

Chongqing senlin = Chungking express. 1996. orig. 1994. 1 videocassette (102 min.). Tasty takeout isn't the only thing served hot at this little fast food place -- the lives and loves of its colorful customers also criss-cross over the counter. Film tells the stories of two policemen who frequent a bar called "The Midnight Express" in Hong Kong. In this mazelike commercial complex, a bizarre relationship is struck up between one of the policemen and a Chinese drug smuggler while the other falls in love with a snack bar waitress. VHS 5419

Como agua para chocolate = Like water for chocolate. 1994. orig. 1992. 1 videocassette (105 min.). In a love story which blends fantasy and reality, Tita is condemned by her mother to live unmarried so that she can take care of her mother till death. Her sweetheart Pedro marries her older sister to stay near her. Using the wisdom of the kitchen taught to her by an old servant, Tita cooks to express her emotions, producing strange effects on her family. Her cooking, like a magic potion, acts on her and those around her, eventually procuring her emancipation and happiness. DVD 1164, VHS 2993

Delicatessen. 1992. orig. 1992. 1 videocassette (95 min.). Set several years after a nuclear war has wiped out most of humanity, people only care about finding food. But the residents of an old tenement get fresh meat from the butcher on the main floor, whose stocks coincide with the arrival & departure of new tenants. A sweet-natured ex-clown takes the job as a butcher's assistant and gets a room in the building. He becomes a catalyst in the lives of the cleaver-wielding butcher (who deals in "prime cuts" of human flesh), his myopic daughter, a woman with a flair for suicide, toymakers who create little boxes that go "moo," and other unusual tenants. VHS 4887

Felicia's journey. 1999. 1 videodisc (116 min.). Joseph Hilditch, an eccentric chef, befriends a young woman, Felicia, who has come to town searching for her boyfriend. She is attracted to the seemingly harmless and extremely helpful Hilditch, trusting him and entering his life, only to discover too late that she is not the first woman that he has taken in. DVD 178

La Femme du boulanger = The Baker's wife. 1988. orig. 1938. 1 videocassette (124 min.). When the beautiful, young wife of the local baker runs off with a handsome shepherd, the tranquility of village life is shattered. The villagers are forced to take action when the inconsolable baker is too heartsick to bake bread. The whole village organizes to lure, cajole and force the young woman away from her lover and back to her husband--so that they can once again have bread on their tables. VHS 6031

La Grande bouffe aka Blow out. 1995. orig. 1973. 1 videocassette (125 min.). Four middle-aged men (a pilot, a judge, a master chef and a TV personality) decide they have had enough of the tiresome life around them: the dull repressed people, the mundane world events, the disappointing wines and the even worse food. So they decide to end it all in one last, decadent, drunken, depraved, orgiastic and impeccably well-catered marathon assault on their systems. Locking themselves away in a millionaire's mansion with exquisite cuisine, the world's finest vintage wines and champagnes and a like-minded woman, they begin their final crazy "Grande Bouffe" -- a real "Blow-Out.". VHS 4052

Pane e cioccolata = Bread and chocolate. 1996. orig. 1973. 1 videocassette (109 min.). Film explores the postwar dilemma of the status and plight of migrant workers from Southern Europe into the more prosperous and modern northern countries as it offers a comic but poignant portrait of a man caught between two worlds. Nino Garofalo is an Italian immigrant working odd jobs in Switzerland and trying desperately to fit in. Though his work becomes increasingly degrading, he tenaciously refuses to give up and go home. VHS 5269

Soul food. 1997. 1 videocassette (114 min.). Sunday dinner at Mother Joe's is a mouth-watering, 40-year tradition. As seen through the eyes of her grandson Ahmad, love and laughs are always on the menu, despite the usual rivalries simmering between his mom Maxine and her sisters Teri and Bird. But when serious bickering starts to tear the family apart, the good times suddenly stop. Now it's up to Ahmad to get everyone back together and teach them the true meaning of soul food. VHS 5083

Tampopo = Dandelion. 1988. orig. 1985. 1 videocassette (114 min.). Film follows the life of a young widow and noodle restaurant owner (Nobuko Miyamoto) as she seeks to produce the perfect bowl of ramen. Helping her to attain top ramen status is Goro (Tsutomu Yamazaki), a truck driver who at first criticizes Tampopo's cooking ability and then helps her to master it. DVD 35, VHS 697

What's cooking? 2000. 1 videodisc (109 min.). "What happens when families come together for Thanksgiving? Almost anything! Tale of four very different families, as they cook up some tasty holiday surprises: love, betrayal, and even a few outrageous secrets! And, ultimately, discover the astonishing power love has to reconnect us all"--Container. DVD 251

Media Services is interested in your . (202)885-3257