A Place at the Table

A Place at the Table (2011)

Genres - Drama, Culture & Society  |   Sub-Genres - Diet & Nutrition, Social Issues  |   Release Date - Mar 22, 2012 (USA), Mar 1, 2013 (USA - Limited)  |   Run Time - 84 min.  |   Countries - United States  |   MPAA Rating - PG
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Synopsis by Jason Buchanan

In an era when even many full-time workers rely on soup kitchens for sustenance, filmmakers Kristi Jacobson and Lori Silverbush take us into the lives of three people who wage a daily struggle against hunger, and speak with various experts about the possibility of ensuring that every American is well fed. Despite the fact that our nation has the means and resources to feed every hungry mouth, it's estimated that one in four American children doesn't get enough to eat. If we possess the capability to provide these starving children with a nutritious diet but fail to do so, what does that say about us as a society? Barbie is a single mother from Philadelphia who knows how it feels to go to bed hungry. As a young girl she rarely knew where her next meal would come from, and she's determined that her two children will never face that uncertainty. Famished Colorado second-grader Rosie has difficulty concentrating in school and relies on the kindness of others to fill her plate, while Mississippi grade-schooler Tremonica finds her asthma aggravated by the only meals that her mother can afford -- which are decidedly lacking in nutrients. In addition to talking with the people affected by hunger on a daily basis, Jacobson and Silverbush also speak with sociologist Janet Poppendieck, nutrition advocate Marion Nestle, Witness to Hunger's Mariana Chilton, Academy Award winner Jeff Bridges, and various others about this widespread problem and the potential solutions.

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Keywords

epidemic, hunger [food], poverty, public-policy, soup-kitchen