Ready for a serious dose of ‘food for thought’? Then rally your troupe and snag tickets to a screening of Food, Inc 2., playing at VIFF Centre from April 12th through 22nd.

To say that “a lot” has happened over the past 15+ years since the original, critically-acclaimed Food, Inc. documentary exposing the industrial food industry came out back in 2008 would be a massive understatement. And although the follow-up from its filmmaking duo, Robert Kenner and Melissa Robledo, is good news for documentary film-lovers, and a welcome conversation-(re)starter about some seriously hot topics (Ultra-processed foods, wage slavery, plant-based meat alternatives, etc.), the fact that a sequel is warranted also seems like a giant red flag for food producers and consumers, and the environment alike…

Not that it’s all bad news. Food Inc. 2 also promises to deliver some positivity, via a motley cast of interviewees including “innovative farmers, future-thinking food producers, workers’ rights activists and prominent legislators” who are determined to go head-on with big food corporations “to inspire change and build a healthier, more sustainable future”, according to the official Food, Inc. 2 website.

Here’s a bit more about what’s to expect this time around, from VIFF: “The team behind the Oscar-nominated 2008 impact documentary Food Inc. return with an update on what’s changed, and what hasn’t, in our reliance on industrial farming and processed food. Investigative journalists Michael Pollan (The Omnivore’s Dilemma) and Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation) have had real success raising consumer awareness about the issues here…And yet, the unhealthy status quo remains deeply entrenched, propped up by government subsidies and deeply damaging to our environment.”

No matter what your level of savviness on the subject matter is, or whether or not you’ve seen the first Food, Inc. film; if you work in the F&B industry, are a devout local restaurant-supporter, and/or diligent Farmer’s Market-goer, or none of the above: we are all invested in the issues surrounding the food industry, which should automatically make Food, Inc. 2 required watching, in our books. Plus, what better and more entertaining way to get informed/up-to-speed than by spending 90-ish minutes in a cozy movie theatre with some good company (not required but all the better to converse with post-screening, preferably at a neighbourhood bar with a pint or glass of something good and locally made in-hand)?! Get fired up by watching the Food, Inc. 2 trailer below, and then secure your tickets here.

VIFF Centre

Neighbourhood: Yaletown

1181 Seymour St.

Box Office Helpline: 604-683-3456 (Mon-Fri, 12-5pm)

WEBSITE