Liverpool’s home-grown Food For Real Film Festival – the only festival of its kind in the UK – returns for a fourth edition on Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th March 2016.
Curated by socially-engaged, creative food enterprise Squash Nutrition, the festival seeks to explore the environmental, political, health and cultural impacts of the foods we grow, eat, waste and share.
Food for Real is evolving and will unfold over 2016 with four special seasonal editions. Follow the festival journey through the seed-sowing and green-shoots of spring, the fire and spice of summer, the earthy fruitfulness of autumn and the contemplative stillness of winter.
This first, spring edition, will see a weekend of seasonal screenings and activities. Saturday’s food-focused films across the city have been chosen to inspire Sunday’s spring food action in Everton and Toxteth. A jam-packed programme provides lots of opportunities from dawn til dusk to try something new. Come and have a go at digging, planting, talking, dancing plus of course cooking and eating.
All Food For Real Film Festival events are FREE to attend, but booking is essential. Festival-goers are invited to make a donation when booking tickets online.
Highlights of this year’s film programme include the UK Premiere of Can You Dig This? Produced by John Legend, and starring the amazing ‘gangsta’ gardener Ron Finley, this intimate portrayal of nature nurture in a harsh urban cityscape, celebrates diverse and hopeful people who dedicate their lives to growing food their own way, in LA.
Another major highlight is Disco Scouse. Back by popular demand, this celebratory, music-fuelled vegetable mash-up combines cooking, disco and awareness of food waste all under one big glitter ball. This time it’s a David Bowie themed-disco – so get your stardust fa-fa-fa fashion on! Sign up to be a volunteer cook and help transform ingredients into a big tasty communal lunch of tasty veggie scouse, or just shimmy your way down to Fire Fit Hub and join in the big lunch.
And if you really want to embrace the spring, join in the dawn breakfast from 6.14 am in Princes Park, L8, for porridge and pancakes cooked over the fire plus yoga and wild-food foraging! This very special event marks the beginning of a Sunday full of free spring food-focused activity for all ages.
Clare Owens of Squash Nutrition said:
“Spring is the time to sow the seeds of both urban food and community action. We are really looking forward to sharing a fresh menu of grassroots and global food-focused films, discussions and activities to nourish the body, mind and spirit. Whatever food you’re into, come along and try something new!’
Food For Real Film Festival is funded by Liverpool City Council and NHS Liverpool CCG. The festival is sponsored by Liverpool Food People, Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority and Love Food Hate Waste.
Festival venues include Liverpool Small Cinema, Odeon Liverpool One, FACT, The Brink, The Bagelry, Toxteth Library, Fire Fit Hub and the Grapes Community Food Garden.