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Food and film challenge hopes to get kids thinking about food issues

Charmaine Dymond

Budding young filmmakers from across Nova Scotia now have the chance to be part of the largest food and film festival in the world.

Devour! The Food Film Fest is going into its fifth year with its largest program of events and films yet. Joining the lineup this year is the Nourish Nova Scotia food and film challenge, inviting children and youth to make a short film about three food issues: sugar, food waste and healthy bodies. The best of the entries will be screened at the film festival in Wolfville in November.

“We’ve always wanted to do something like this. Given the state of the film industry overall, we want to inspire young minds to pick up technology and film and ask some pertinent questions about food issues and food systems around them,” says Lia Rinaldo, managing director at Devour.

The festival has teamed up with Nourish Nova Scotia, a non-profit that works to support the nutritional well being of children and youth in Nova Scotia and increase their food literacy.

“Food literacy is one of those catch phrases really but for us it’s really about helping children and youth and the generations to come to understand and appreciate good food and real food. It’s about how to cook from scratch, planning real food meals and celebrating traditions surrounded by good food,” says Margo Riebe-Butt, executive director of Nourish Nova Scotia.

The winning film will be chosen by a jury put together by Devour that will even include someone from Sesame Street. “Vetted by Sesame Street!” says Rinaldo. “Every interaction I had with them I was kind of squealing. The child in me was very happy to be talking to Sesame Street.”

The prize of $500 goes to support a healthy food initiative in the winner’s school or community. The festival, which travels and holds pop-up events in other cities, also plans on taking the winning film on the road with them.

The festival takes place Nov. 4 to 8 with more than 78 new food and wine films from around the world, 18 workshops, including culinary demos from visiting chefs, and tasting tours around Kings County. Last year the festival started a new tradition of having a celebrity guest pick the film for the opening night gala. This year actor Bill Pullman will do the honours. His film of choice? The Academy Award-winning Babette’s Feast. He’ll also be on stage talking about his career and how it relates to food.

As for the food and film challenge, films should be no longer than three minutes. The challenge is open to all school-aged kids and youth in Nova Scotia and the deadline for submissions is Oct. 21.

Riebe-Butt says she’s excited to see the films the kids create and to see what the winner will do with the $500 prize. “It’s one thing to show a student or child something but it’s another thing to get them to process it. We think through film and through creating your own experience on these topics that they will have a real learning experience in a way that they find interesting.”

For more information on the Nourish Food and Film Challenge: https://nourishns.ca/devour. For more information on Devour! The Food Film Fest: http://devourfest.com