The Perfect Cappuccino To Be Shown At Dallas Video Fest

The Perfect Cappuccino , directed by Slow Food member Amy Ferraris, will be shown at 10:30 a.m., Sunday, Nov. 9, at the Angelika Film Center at 5321 E. Mockingbird Lane. It was screened last month during the Thin Line Film Festival in Denton, so if you missed it, now's your chance to see what has been described as the story of "one woman's obsession with a beverage."

The 90 minute video is "a personally narrated journey that traces the origins and current social meaning of one beverage-the cappuccino. Along the way it confronts a series of larger questions: Why is the Starbucks chain-store model a uniquely American approach to coffee? Is there something in our character, as Americans, that pushes us toward expansion and mass standardization? Is this human nature? Is it American nature? Are we a culture that values business enterprise? Or a culture that is ruled by it? Blending the voices of baristas, cultural critics, business leaders and coffee geeks everywhere, this film will use the cappuccino as a means to chart the strange intersections of individualism and mass culture that make up the contemporary American character."

Ferraris is a graduate of UCLA's MFA film program, where she received awards from AMPAS, the Women in Film Foundation, Edie and Lew Wasserman, the Hollywood Radio and Television Society, and the MPAA.

Tickets are at the door or at www.videofest.org.

Searching for "The Perfect Cappuccino"

Amy Ferraris, longtime Slow Food member in California, will be screening her documentary, The Perfect Cappuccino, a documentary about coffee, consumerism and being American, on Saturday, September 27, 2008, at 11am at the Thin Line Film Festival in Denton.

Have you ever had a perfect cappuccino? Not a latte. Or a frappuccino. But a perfect blend of espresso and milk in that unique, unforgettable texture that can only be described as velvety?

THE PERFECT CAPPUCCINO is the story of one woman's obsession with a beverage. The film accompanies, Amy on a personally-narrated journey that traces the origins and social significance of the cappuccino.

Blending the voices of baristas, cultural critics, business leaders and coffee geeks everywhere, the film uses the cappuccino as a means to explore the strange intersections of individualism and mass culture in America.

Click here for the trailer

Tickets: The 2008 Thin Line Film Festival

Location: Fine Arts Theater, 115 N. Elm Street, Denton TX 76201

The film will also be screened as part of the Dallas Video Festival, Nov. 6-9 in Dallas.

Food Fight at AFI Dallas - Sat, April 5th & Sun, April 6th

Throw out your fast food and get ready to see a real Food Fight. Chris Taylor's documentary is the on list of films to be presented at this year's AFI Dallas International Film Festival on Sat, April 5th and Sun, April 6th. Details and tickets available from AFI Dallas. According to Chris, the film is still a work in progress and he hopes that Slow Food members can come to the screening, see the film and give him feedback. The film is truly a labor of love.

"Why can't I get a good tomato anymore?' Because the biggest farmers, the biggest food processing companies, and the US government don't care about taste and nutrition. They care about dollars. Fortunately there are a passionate group of small farmers, food activists and chefs who are fighting back and are leading a grass roots, democratic food movement that is returning taste, nutrition, and pleasure to the act of eating."

Visit the website for "high octane" goodies including a tasty trailer:

http://www.foodfightthedoc.com/foodfight.html

"The Future of Food" is happening now

I'm one of those people who want to know what's in my food...where it came from...who grew it...and what I can do with it. Of course before I even start down that path, I want to be sure it is safe and will continue to be safe while I cook it and consume it. The fact of the matter is, I believe at the very least, all the food in the marketplace should be safe. Safe for me, safe for my family and anyone I might want to serve it to. Its incredible to me that more and more food is arriving at the marketplace that isn't. Because I'm extremely interested in food, I'm aware of that, but so many others are not. Like it or not, we all need to be aware of what is happening to the food we eat every day and what impact it has on our health and our way of life, both now and in the future.

Slow Food Dallas is sponsoring the screening of "The Future of Food," produced by Deborah Koons Garcia. Deborah Koons Garcia is the widow of the famous rocker Jerry Garcia. Deborah has produced several documentaries and was concerned enough about what was happening around her to produce this one about genetically modified food. I think you'll find it enlightening and it just might change the way you shop, cook and eat.

The film is being screened at the Nasher Sculpture Center this Sunday afternoon at 2 pm in the private dining room at the Nasher. Tickets are available through Slow Food Dallas at their website: www.slowfooddallas.org. Seating is limited.

"Future of Food" Film Screening Jan. 13

Slow Food Dallas is sponsoring a screening of the film, Future of Food, which “offers an in-depth investigation into the disturbing truth behind the unlabeled, patented, genetically engineered foods (commonly referred to as GMOs) that have quietly filled U.S. grocery store shelves for the past decade.”

The screening will be in the Nasher Sculpture Garden's Private Dining room on Sunday, January 13 at 2 p.m. There are only 65 tickets available for the screening so get your tickets early.

The tickets are available through Brown Paper Tickets for $25 for members and $35 for non-members. The price includes admission to the gardens, so plan to come early to enjoy the gardens.