International Organic Film Festival in Kagoshima, focusing on food, school lunches, marine plastic

PUBLISHED Nov 30, 2021

Members of the film festival committee, promoting the festival at the Organic Festa held at Waterfront Park on November 27 and 28

The International Organic Film Festival, featuring films about the environment, food, and organic farming, will be held on December 4 and 5 at the Gardens Cinema and Open Garden on the 7th floor of Maruya Gardens.

It is the 14th of its kind, organized by the Kagoshima Organic Agriculture Association, a non-profit organization. The films to be screened include “People Protecting Food Safety (食の安全を守る人々),” a new documentary on the crisis posed to Japan by multinational agribusinesses such as genome editing and genetically modified foods; “Revolution from School Lunches (給食からの革命),” which depicts the possibilities of organic school lunches and its impact and on society; and “The Rulers of Water (水の支配者たち),” which portrays the current situation in Australia and the United States, where water is increasingly being commercialized. It also shows “The Plastic Ocean (プラスチックの海),” which focuses on the problem of ocean plastic, where 8 million tons a year are thrown away and become microplastics that do not decompose and become part of the food chain.

Munemitsu Sonoyama, Executive Director of the NPO, cited “Revolution from School Lunches” as the highlight of the film festival. He said: “This year, the Japanese government announced a policy to drastically increase the percentage of the organic farming area from the current level of less than 1 percent to 25 percent by 2050, which is a major turning point in the history of organic farming. This film introduces the accelerating trend toward organic school lunches around the world, including specific examples. I hope we can inform people that the actions of each individual can inspire and change the world.”

On the 4th, there will be a screening accompanied by a talk by Masahiko Yamada, the producer of “People Who Protect Food Safety,” and on the 5th, by Shigeru Fujieda, a specially-appointed professor at Kagoshima University Regional Co-Creation Center for Industry and Society, working on the issue of ocean plastic. Sonoyama hopes that the two-day event will inspire everyone to change their behavior from that day forward.

The venue will also have a small organic market featuring stalls from Ungetsu Nouen, Sonoyama Nouen, and Tsurusane Nouen. Organic boxed lunches, snacks, organic vegetables, and other products will be available for purchase.

The screening schedule and ticket information can be found on the International Organic Film Festival in Kagoshima (国際オーガニック映画祭 in Kagoshima) Facebook page.

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