Join FamilyFarmed.org and SnagFilms for the "Good Food Film Countdown" to help determine the best food films of all time. Film and food fans who vote for their top documentary and fictional food film will be entered to win free food and environmentally safe products for a year from signature sponsors including Applegate, Stonyfield, Organic Valley, Nature's Path Organic, Earth Friendly Products, and a burrito party for 50 from Chipotle!

There are over 170 films to vote for. Big Night, Like Water for Chocolate, Babette's Feast, Chicken Soup, or even Attack of the Killer Tomatoes are just a few! And many of the incredible Good Food documentaries that have not been widely viewed are available to watch and vote on.

The first round of voting runs until October 31, after which, the film list will be narrowed to five non-fiction and five fiction films. From November 1 through November 28, voters will vote for one of the top five ranked films in each category to determine their favorite food flick.

"FamilyFarmed.org aims to bring healthy food to local communities across America while benefitting farmers, consumers and businesses," said Familyfarmed.org Founder and President, Jim Slama. "We are excited to work with SnagFilms on the sweepstakes, to encourage families to celebrate food by watching and voting for their favorite foods films and to have the chance to win healthy foods and environmentally safe products."

"We eat by necessity - but what we eat is a choice. FamilyFarmed.org and the films in this showcase help us choose more flavor, better health and a sustainable planet.  It's filmanthropy for your family dinner table, and we're delighted to enlist the SnagFilms community to watch, share and eat smart," said Rick Allen, SnagFilms CEO.

Additional sponsors for the Good Food Film Countdown include Whole Foods Market, Beanfields, Bon Appetit, Nutiva and FrogTV. A selection of food films are currently available for free streaming online via SnagFilms.com.

How It Works

1. Visit the Good Food Film page on Snagfilms.com.

2. Click "Go" to sign in and vote for your favorite documentary and fictional film!

Find the list of films here, or simply vote on the top 15 films already selected. The first round of voting ends October 31, 2011. The second round of voting includes the top 5 films in each category and runs from November 1 to November 28.

Good Food Festival and Conference a Huge Success!

The inaugural Good Food Festival and Conference celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the Santa Monica Farmers Markets was a resounding success. Over 8,000 attendees joined us to experience the Good Food Movement first hand!
 
 

The kick-off Wednesday market on September 14, with all the farmers of the Arizona Ave market and Amelia Saltsman's cooking demos was a fantastic taste for the festivities to come. Including a showing of powerful film  The Harvest by Lisa Lucas Talbot, chapter leader of Slow Food Los Angeles and Slow Food USA's regional governor for southern California.
 
To experience the Thursday, September 15 Opening Symposium and WPA Agricultural Art Opening was to go back in time to experience the struggles of the Great Depression and the enduring symbol of American agriculture. Followed by a discussion from national figures (too many to list!) at the forefront of the Good Food Movement, it was an inspiring and enlightening night.   
 
Friday, September 16 we welcomed participants to our Conference and Trade Show activities, which were designed to support farmers, trade buyers and other stakeholders to grow their business and the good food community. Nationally significant speakers included Steve Ells, CEO and Founder of Chipotle Mexican Grill; Dr. Robert Ross of The California Endowment; and Laura Avery of the Santa Monica Farmers Markets.  
 
The Localicious Gala on the beachfront at the Annenberg Community Beach House was a night to remember. With 30 chefs paired with 30 farmers, it was the perfect event to celebrate the achievements of the past 30 years of the Santa Monica Farmers Markets. The party showed us not only how fun food can be, but how important making the connections with our farmers and chefs is.  

The Good Food Festival and Street Fair on Saturday, September 17 and Sunday, September 18 were two exciting days filled with over 100 exhibitors and food trucks, gardening and preserving workshops, chef demos, a speaker series and more.   
 
It was an opportunity to learn about our changing food system from national experts with panels in the Good Food for Thought Speaker Series like "Can Local and Organic Feed the World?" and "Fair Food: Can Good Food Be Available to Everyone?" For the budding urban homesteaders, our Grow Your Own and Preserve It workshops offered a host of presentations, including Pickling Early Fall Vegetables and an Introduction to Permaculture. It was truly a celebration of everything that makes us love food and the farmers, chefs and thought leaders that work to make it even better.  
 
Throughout these five days we ate good food, viewed films, experienced amazing chefs, saw fabulous rediscovered art, learned from leading farmers and ranchers, saw gardening and food preservation demos, had a Gala on the ocean, and heard from many leaders in the Good Food Movement!
 
We could not have accomplished this without the help of so many people. Staff, board members, advisers, volunteers, speakers, chefs, farmers, and more all contributed to this effort. We are so grateful for their help.  
 
Thank you!

A very special thanks to our sponsors, who made this event possible!

Communities around the country are gearing up for Food Day, a grassroots mobilization aimed at improving America's food policies. Set for Monday, October 24, 2011, Food Day will see thousands of forums and celebrations from coast to coast aimed at promoting healthy diets and solving local communities' food problems. A grass roots movement, modeled after Earth Day, Food Day will bring together Americans from all walks of life - parents, teachers, and students, health professionals, community organizers, and local officials, chefs, school lunch providers, and eaters of all stripes - to push for healthy, affordable food produced in a sustainable, humane way.
 
Food Day is backed by an impressive advisory board that includes anti-hunger advocates, physicians, authors, politicians, and leaders of groups focused on everything from farmers markets to animal welfare to public health. Food Day is working with people around the country to create thousands of events in homes, schools, churches, farmers markets, city halls, and state capitals. But the most important ingredient in Food Day is you - please lend your support by organizing or participating in an event in your area to help make Food Day a success.

For more information go to www.foodday.org.