Documentaries that Will Make You Rethink Everything You Know About Food and Health
You don't have to be a nutrition expert to appreciate one (or all) of these health food-focused documentaries. Each one finds its own unique way to expose the countless health and food system problems in this country and serves up the motivation to tackle it head-on.
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- DirectorRobert KennerStarsMichael PollanEric SchlosserRichard LobbAn unflattering look inside America's corporate controlled food industry.
- DirectorDavid GelbStarsJiro OnoYoshikazu OnoMasuhiro YamamotoA documentary on 85-year-old sushi master Jiro Ono, his renowned Tokyo restaurant, and his relationship with his son and eventual heir, Yoshikazu.
- DirectorLee FulkersonStarsLee FulkersonMatthew LedermanAlona PuldeExamines the profound claim that most, if not all, of the degenerative diseases that afflict us can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting our present menu of animal-based and processed foods.
- DirectorStephanie SoechtigStarsMichele SimonKatie CouricBill ClintonAn examination of America's obesity epidemic and the food industry's role in aggravating it.
- DirectorJeremy SeifertStarsJeremy SeifertVandana ShivaCary FowlerFilmmaker Jeremy Seifert journeys to Haiti, Paris, Norway, and even agri-giant Monsanto in search of answers about genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and how they affect our children, the health of our planet, and our freedom of choice.
- DirectorDamon GameauStarsDamon GameauHugh JackmanMilla BakaitisDamon Gameau embarks on an experiment to document the effects of a high sugar diet on a healthy body.
- DirectorChristopher TaylorStarsMichael PollanAlice WatersMarion NestleA fascinating look at how American agricultural policy and food culture developed in the 20th century, and how the California food movement rebelled against big agribusiness to launch the local organic food movement.
- DirectorMarisa Miller WolfsonStarsMarisa Miller WolfsonChloe DavisCody TarlowVegucated is a guerrilla-style documentary that follows three meat- and cheese-loving New Yorkers who agree to adopt a vegan diet for six weeks and learn what it's all about.
- DirectorCorbin BillingsStarsDavion BlandMoy GutierrezEmily PatrickBite Size tells the stories of 4 kids around the country as they embark on a journey to become healthier and lose weight. All it takes is someone to believe in you and the will to try.
- DirectorAaron WoolfStarsBob BledsoeEarl L. ButzDawn CheneyKing Corn is a feature documentary about two friends, one acre of corn, and the subsidized crop that drives our fast-food nation. In King Corn, Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis, best friends from college on the east coast, move to the heartland to learn where their food comes from. With the help of friendly neighbors, genetically modified seeds, and powerful herbicides, they plant and grow a bumper crop of America's most-productive, most-subsidized grain on one acre of Iowa soil. But when they try to follow their pile of corn into the food system, what they find raises troubling questions about how we eat-and how we farm
- DirectorKip AndersenKeegan KuhnStarsKip AndersenLarry BaldwinNeal BarnardAn intrepid filmmaker on a journey of discovery as he uncovers possibly the largest health secret of our time and the collusion between industry, government, pharmaceutical and health organizations keeping this information from us.
- DirectorJames ColquhounCarlo LedesmaStarsVicky BlewittIan BrighthopeJerome BurneFood Matters examines how the food we eat can help or hurt our health. Nutritionists, naturopaths, doctors, and journalists weigh in on such topics as organic food, food safety, raw foodism, and nutritional therapy.
- DirectorMorgan SpurlockStarsMorgan SpurlockDaryl IsaacsChemeeka WalkerWhile examining the influence of the fast food industry, Morgan Spurlock personally explores the consequences on his health of a diet of solely McDonald's food for one month.
- DirectorKip AndersenKeegan KuhnStarsBruce HamiltonKip AndersenAl GoreFollow the shocking, yet humorous, journey of an aspiring environmentalist, as he daringly seeks to find the real solution to the most pressing environmental issues and true path to sustainability.
- DirectorMarkus ImhoofStarsFred JaggiRandolf MenzelJohn MillerAn in-depth look at honeybee colonies in California, Switzerland, China and Australia.
- DirectorSally RoweStarsHeston BlumenthalDaniel BouludFrank BruniPaul Liebrandt is one of the most talented and controversial chefs in the food world and the youngest chef to have received 3 stars from the New York Times. He was 24. NY Times food critic, William Grimes, likened Paul to 'a pianist who seems to have found a couple of dozen extra keys.' Through Paul, the film reveals the creative process, the extreme hard work, long hours, and dedication it takes to be a culinary artist and have success in the cutthroat world of haute cuisine. Exploring the complicated relationships between food critics, chefs, and owners the film delves into the life of a dedicated young chef ahead of his time.
- DirectorByron HurtTo many African Americans, soul food is sacrament, ritual, and a key expression of cultural identity. But does this traditional cuisine do more harm to health than it soothes the soul?
- DirectorMark HallIn this meticulously researched documentary, filmmaker Mark Hall traces the origins of sushi in Japan to its status today as a cuisine that has spawned a lucrative worldwide industry.
- DirectorKristin CantyStarsLinda FaillaceAdam HelferMark McAfeeFarmageddon is the story of a mom whose son healed from all allergies and asthma after consuming raw milk, and real food from farms. It depicts people all over the country who formed food co-ops and private clubs to get these foods, and how they were raided by state and local governments.
- DirectorJason WiseStarsBo BarrettShayn BjornholmDave CaubleFour sommeliers attempt to pass the prestigious Master Sommelier exam, a test with one of the lowest pass rates in the world.
- DirectorTom NaughtonStarsPeter PaddonTom NaughtonChareva NaughtonA comedian replies to the "Super Size Me" crowd by losing weight on a fast-food diet while demonstrating that almost everything you think you know about the obesity "epidemic" and healthy eating is wrong.
- DirectorAnat BaronStarsNorman AdamiAnat BaronRoberta BaskinA contemporary David and Goliath story that takes you inside the cutthroat world of the big business of American beer.
- DirectorKristi JacobsonLori SilverbushStarsJeff BridgesTom ColicchioKen CookA documentary that investigates incidents of hunger experienced by millions of Americans, and proposed solutions to the problem.
- DirectorIan CheneyStarsSusan CarterIan CheneyPhilip ChiangWho was General Tso, and why are we eating his chicken? This feature documentary explores the origins and ubiquity of Chinese-American food through the story of an iconic sweet and spicy chicken dish.
- DirectorLutz HachmeisterStarsYannick AllénoElena ArzakJuan Mari ArzakThe feature doc takes a look behind the scenes at top-class restaurants and offers exclusive interviews with celebrity chefs from France, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, the USA and Japan.
- DirectorMark BeckerJennifer GrausmanInfamously blunt, Wilma Stephenson runs a "boot camp" teaching Culinary Arts at Frankford High, disciplining her students into capable chefs and responsible students. But behind her tough exterior is a teacher who cares passionately about getting the best out of her kids.
- DirectorChris HegedusD.A. PennebakerStarsJacquy PfeifferRegis LazardPhilippe RigollotThe collar awarded to the winners of the Meilleur Ouvrier de France (Best Craftsman in France) is more than the ultimate recognition for every pastry chef - it is a dream and an obsession. The 3-day competition includes everything from delicate chocolates to precarious six foot sugar sculptures and requires that the chefs have extraordinary skill, nerves of steel and luck. The film follows Jacquy Pfeiffer, founder of The French Pastry School in Chicago, as he returns to France to compete against 15 of France's leading pastry chefs. The filmmakers were given first time/exclusive access to this high-stakes drama of passion, sacrifice, disappointment and joy in the quest to have President Sarkozy declare them one of the best in France.
- DirectorJeremy SeifertStarsJeremy SeifertFollow filmmaker Jeremy Seifert and his circle of friends as they dumpster dive in the back alleys and gated garbage receptacles of L.A.'s supermarkets. In the process they uncover thousands of dollars worth of good food and an ugly truth about waste in America: grocery stores know they are wasting and most refuse to do anything about it.
- DirectorRobert BatesStarsAnthony BoutardJean-Paul CourtensEddie EagleInspiring and rich, Ingredients unearths the roots of the local food movement and digs into the stories of the world-class chefs, sustainability-minded farmers and impassioned activists transforming our broken food system.
- DirectorJean-Paul JaudStarsPerico LégasseFor the first time ever, our children are growing up less healthy than we are. As the rate of cancer, infertility and other illnesses linked to environmental factors climbs upward each year, we must ask ourselves: why is this happening?
- DirectorJames ColquhounLaurentine Ten BoschCarlo LedesmaStarsMike AdamsNick BoltonJames CaitlinExposes shocking secrets the diet, weight loss and food industries don't want you to know about deceptive strategies designed to keep you coming back for more. Find out what's keeping you from having the body and health you deserve.
- DirectorJames ColquhounCarlo LedesmaStarsVicky BlewittIan BrighthopeJerome BurneFood Matters examines how the food we eat can help or hurt our health. Nutritionists, naturopaths, doctors, and journalists weigh in on such topics as organic food, food safety, raw foodism, and nutritional therapy.
- DirectorShaun MonsonStarsJoaquin PhoenixUsing hidden cameras and never-before-seen footage, Earthlings chronicles the day-to-day practices of the largest industries in the world, all of which rely entirely on animals for profit.
- DirectorDeborah Koons GarciaStarsCharles BenbrookGrace BoothGeorge W. BushTHE FUTURE OF FOOD offers an in-depth investigation into the disturbing truth behind the unlabeled, patented, genetically engineered foods that have quietly filled grocery store shelves for the past decade.
- DirectorAgnès VardaStarsFrançois WertheimerAgnès VardaJean La PlancheVarda films and interviews gleaners in France in all forms, from those picking fields after the harvest to those scouring the dumpsters of Paris.
- DirectorSamuel VartekStarsJim OlsonTony ClarkeMaude BarlowWars of the future will be fought over water as they are over oil today, as the source of human survival enters the global marketplace and political arena. Corporate giants, private investors, and corrupt governments vie for control of our dwindling supply, prompting protests, lawsuits, and revolutions from citizens fighting for the right to survive. Past civilizations have collapsed from poor water management.
- DirectorNikolaus GeyrhalterStarsClaus Hansen PetzArkadiusz RydellekBarbara HinzOUR DAILY BREAD is a wide-screen tableau of a feast which isn't always easy to digest - and in which we all take part. A pure, meticulous and high-end film experience that enables the audience to form their own ideas.
- DirectorStephanie BlackStarsBelinda BeckerBuju BantonHorst KöhlerDocumentary look at the effects of globalization on Jamaican industry and agriculture.
- DirectorMark LewisStarsJanet BonneyJoseph MartinezJoel VavraThrough interviews and reenactments, The Natural History of the Chicken investigates the role of the chicken in American life and tells several remarkable stories. A Maine farmer says she found a chicken frozen stiff, but was able to resuscitate it. Colorado natives tell a story of the chicken who lost its head-- and went on living. A Virginia farmer tells about (and demonstrates) the benefits of raising chickens for his own consumption. Perhaps most surprising is the case of the Florida woman: she bathes her pet bird, and takes it both swimming and shopping. Through these and other stories, this documentary illuminates the role that chickens play in (some of) our lives.