The 2020 Flatirons Food Film Festival will take place October 8-11 as an online festival out of Colorado. Just as with past live festivals, it will present short and feature films, live speakers and film-related food events – but all online. Their ultimate goal is to bring the community together in discussion over connection and food. Films on indigenous and minority food cultures will be strongly represented at this year’s festival.

In this time of reduced social interaction, the food industry is reeling, and the 501c3 nonprofit festival which has traditionally relied on support from the industry, is also challenged financially. To enable the festival to contribute to the country’s ongoing dialog about food, they say public support is more important than ever. This year’s fundraiser will take the form of 10 live culinary classes on Zoom during the second and third weekends of August that will include instruction, short films and feasting. Members of the local food community such as Chef Hosea Rosenberg of Blackbelly and Jennifer Olsen of Jennifer Olsen Photography will teach 90-minute classes.

Courtesy of Bryan Edward

The classes’ format will consist of the 2020 festival trailer with clips from upcoming feature films, demonstrations on how to make a specific dish, “guided” tastings, or lectures sharing tips and expertise, a Q&A session where students can ask questions, chat and feast, plus a short food-oriented film. Students will receive a recipe for the class dish (if there is one), and a link to a video recording of their class, so they can relax and watch the class live, and if they wish, follow the video instructions while cooking the dish later. Fundraiser classes are 30 dollars per person for each class, or 250 dollars for a pass to attend all classes. All proceeds will go towards holding the 2020 Flatirons Food Film Festival. Tickets and passes are available at https://bit.ly/FFFF20_BenefitClasses.

Upcoming class schedule:

• Tuesday, August 11, 5:30 – 7 p.m.: Sourdough Secrets and Baking with Local Heritage Grain with Master Bread Bakers David Kaminer of Raleigh Street Bakery and Andy Clark of Moxie Bread Co. and support from the Colorado Grain Chain
• Friday, August 14, 5:30 – 7 p.m.: Making Dill and Bread-and-Butter Pickles with Chef Matt Vawter of Mercantile Dining and Provision
• Saturday, August 15, 10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.: Shiitake Mushrooms: Magic, Folklore, and Gastronomy with Culinary Mycologist and Chef Shadi Ramey of Feed Your Vibe
• Sunday, August 16, 10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.: Spanish Spices and the Art of Paella with Chef Dakota Soifer of Cafe Aion and Dan Hayward of Savory Spice Shop – Boulder
• Sunday, August 16, 5:30 – 7 p.m.: Heirloom Grain Pizza Making with Chefs Kelly Whitaker and Colten Steiner of Dry Storage

The Flatirons Food Film Festival’s Dinner and a Movie monthly online series offers a weekly dinner and movie series to enjoy together as a community, while physically apart. With a streaming featured movie, “paired” takeout dinners from recommended restaurants, recipes for dishes related to the film and expert speakers, each Dinner and A Movie event offers an exciting and interesting online festival experience as well as a way to support local restaurants from the comfort of home.

Courtesy of Flatirons Food Film Festival

The next Dinner and a Movie event will take place Friday, August 21, 6:30pm. It will feature Trattoria, a dramedy about a workaholic chef and his estranged son who reconnect and heal their past through cooking. Trattoria director Jason Wolos will speak. Tickets will go on sale on August 10. The festival Facebook page will announce when tickets are on sale and provide a link to ticketing.

The 2020 Flatirons Food Film Festival is the eighth annual multi-day feast celebrating exceptional culinary cinema from various nations. It screens a diverse representation of films in format, both dramatic and documentary, and subject matter, from political issues to the pleasure of cooking, eating, and drinking. Expert speakers and related events accompany the films. For more information, please visit flatironsfoodfilmfest.org, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.