SCREEN | Soul Food – 'We Feed People' x DOXA 2022

"Make sure that food is an agent of change."

DOXA Documentary Film Festival

We Feed People follows gregarious, Spanish-born celebrity chef José Andrés' mission to provide meals in the wake of natural disasters starting with the 2010 Haiti earthquake through his World Central Kitchen non-profit NGO. Director Ron Howard chronicles the famous cook's relentless determination to feed the hungry (as the title would suggest) in devastated areas as fast as possible against the red tape of emergency humanitarian aid.

Andrés makes for a quite compelling documentary subject, one full of energy. His straight-ahead, gruff but joyful demeanour in the face of crisis grounds the film's many natural disasters featured. His mission seems simple amidst a sea of complications.

Howard sometimes dips too far into praise for Andrés' admirable work but tries to let his footage do the talking. Despite the harsh, tragic imagery, there's a hopeful, uplifting quality to how the film documents the humanitarian efforts shown without being too self-congratulatory.

Andrés makes for a compelling figure and worthy vessel to explore the topic of global food relief. Howard's keen eye lets the chef and his work speak for itself with tropical locales and foreign environments filling the screen with eye-catching faces and places. All this makes the mission of feeding the hungry feel all the more vital on screen.

We Feed People screens at the 2022 DOXA Documentary Film Festival as part of the Justice Forum program at the SFU Djavad Mowafaghian Cinema on May 9th and 15th. It also screens virtually online from May 5th to 15th before being available on Disney+ starting May 27th.


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