"Off the Menu" documentary explores the political economy of body and food through student work

Source: cinemaservesjustice.com

Lisa Tillman (Rollins College) has a documentary out that may be of interest to UDCers. The film is titled "Off the Menu: Challenging the Politics and Economics of Body and Food" (2011, Cinema Serves Justice).

What's wrong with the ways we relate to our bodies, to others' bodies, to eating, and to food - and what can we do about it?

The film was screened and discussed at a recent NCA session:

Topics investigated include body and beauty ideals, body image, body dissatisfaction, eating disorders, muscle dysmorphia, our cultural fear and hatred of fat, anti-fat prejudice, and inequalities related to the U.S. food system. 

The film features personal narratives and digital art composed by 24 students enrolled in a course called The Political Economy of Body and Food. A political economic lens helps us see: whose political and economic interests are served by the ways people in the U.S. tend to relate to our own bodies, to others' bodies, to eating, and to food? When we survey the contemporary landscape of body and food, who has what kind of power? Who profits, and at whose expense? How can everyday people resist and promote healthier relationships with body and food?

For a full-length preview, contact Lisa Tillman.

See the film's website for ordering information.

Do you have a book, call for papers, conference panel, creative work, or other project that you'd like other UDC members to know about? Let us know.