In 1958, Joan P Mencher made her first visit to India. Since then, she’s been back too many times. Sifting through her memory unsuccessfully, she says, “I can’t really tell how many times I’ve been here. But in the last 50 years, I must have spent 20 years here.” The highly regarded anthropologist, who has been a consultant to the UN on various agricultural issues, returns this time with a fascinating assortment of documentaries.
She’s in town for an event christened ‘The Joan P Mencher Lectures: We Are What We Eat’, which will be a series of film screenings and discussions spanning the weekend, organised in association with the Bangalore Film Society (BFS).
Since the core focus of the festival will be food and issues associated with it, Mencher scrolls through the collection of films picked: “All the films that I’ve chosen are very recent and relevant. Except for one, all the other films have been made in ‘08 and ‘09. If time permits, I also hope to screen Food Inc, released as recently as this month.” Among the other titles slotted for the weekend is The Story of Stuff. Offering a glimpse at this documentary, Siddharth Pillai, from BFS, says, “The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled film that may help people look at things around them in a whole new way.”
This will be followed by a 90-minute film Fresh by Ana Sophia Joanes that deals with the innovative alternatives to industrial food production and genetically modified foods. “It focuses on a combination of traditional methods of agriculture along with eco-science, which is nothing but ecologically sound science,” says Mencher. Then, she moves on to clarify The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil, about how Cuba survived and turned to organic and natural agriculture after the collapse of the Soviet Union sent its economy through a tailspin.” Needless to say, the documentaries will inform the audiences and spur interactions, so the screenings will be interspersed with talks by Mencher.
But what’s in these screenings for a film enthusiast? Tackling the question, George Kutty, secretary of BFS, who has been following the topic of food keenly for years, enlightens, “The focus of the films is food. That clearly concerns everyone. These certainly are well-made documentaries that will make for a great watch.”
Mencher agrees with Kutty that the films pertain to everyone: “Anyone interested in eating and wants their children and grandchildren to be healthy will find these films relevant.” She then recognises what has always been true of film as a medium: “It’s powerful. A film can communicate in a way that words don’t. People might not want to hear about sustainable agriculture, but watching something about it helps them experience it effectively.” While films and food constitute a typical weekend strategy, films about food might be a fresh change this weekend.
About Joan P Mencher
Joan P Mencher is professor emeritus of anthropology from the City University of New York’s Graduate Center and Lehman College of the City University of New York, and chair of The Second Chance Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation. The foundation works to support rural grassroots organisations in India and the US.
Savour the film fest
The Story of Stuff (20min)
Fresh (90min), a film by Ana Sophia Joanes
Today; 6.30pm
The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil (53min)
Saturday, 6.30pm
Thirst (65min), a film by Alan Snitow and Deborah Kauffman
Caminos—The Immigrant’s Trail/ Food Inc
Sunday, 6.30pm
Where it’s running
Venue: Ashirvad, 30, St Mark’s Road Cross, Opp State Bank of India
Contact: 25493705/9886213516
Email: bangalorefilmsociety@gmail.com
Admission: Free
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