May 26, 2012

Live From Sundance: Combating Hunger with Finding North

by Rebecca Pahle | Published January 31, 2012

In their eye-opening documentary Finding North, directors Kristi Jacobson and Lori Silverbush examine a crisis facing the U.S. that is at once largely ignored and mostly solvable: Millions of people across the country just plain don't get enough to eat. Executive produced by celebrity chef, "Top Chef" judge and restaurateur Tom Colicchio, the film explores the personal side of the hunger epidemic while also presenting possible solutions for a problem that, in the words of Silverbush, "hides in plain sight."

In making the film, Silverbush and Jacobson received an immense groundswell of support from chefs and Oscar-winners alike; in the latter category is actor Jeff Bridges, a long-time supporter of the crusade against hunger who personally gave the moviemakers a call upon hearing about their movie (likely, Jacobson says, from his close friend T-Bone Burnett, the legendary musician who provided much of the music for the film) and asked to be involved.

Silverbush, Jacobson and Colicchio sat down at the Sundance Film Festival to talk about their reasons for making Finding North and the impact they hope it will have on spreading awareness of the all-too-widespread problem of hunger in America.

Interview by: Elliot Kotek