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Did you know that loads of public events happen at the library? Most of them for free! Our library correspondent, Stephen Johnson, has worked at the Ottawa Public Library for the past nine years. His periodic column showcases the upcoming events, courses and seminars that will be taking place at the Main Library.

Food has been a consistent theme at the Ottawa Public Library – Main Branch. The library recently hosted Victoria Yeh who spoke about eating gluten-free, sugar-free and dairy-free.

This month, the library will be hosting the Reel Food Film Festival at the Ottawa Public Library on March 18 and March 25. The festival features documentaries that examine food (how we eat it, produce it, abuse it, etc.) from a number of different perspectives. Some of the documentaries being screened include Chez Schwartz, which depicts a year in the life of Schwartz’s Deli – a landmark for anyone who has visited Montreal and eaten their smoked meat sandwiches.

On March 25, the main feature is Dirt! The Movie, the story of Earth’s most valuable and under-appreciated source of fertility – from its miraculous beginning to its crippling degradation.

The Reel Food Film Festival is being put on in conjunction with Just Food, an Ottawa organization that promotes food security meaning all people have access to safe and nutritious foods. A major pillar in their organization is promoting eating locally.

The Film Festival will held at the Main Library (auditorium), 120 Metcalfe Street on Thursday March 18 and 25. Doors open at 6:00 pm and the films begin at 6:30 pm. Admission is free but donations are appreciated. It is recommended to arrive early as it is a very popular event. The evening is brought to you by USC, WIAM, The Good Food Box, Ottawa Public Library and Canadian Organic Growers. For more information about the films being screened, visit www.justfood.ca or continue reading below.

THURSDAY MARCH 18

Alpenblick Farm: An Organic Tradition
Directed by: Ben Walker & Lynda Hall, Ottawa, 2009, 5 mins
Alpenblick Farm: An Organic Tradition is a refreshing trip out to a family-run organic farm in the Ottawa Valley. In its intimate portrayal of the bond between the farmers and their animals, it softly pleads the case for small scale farming, and the rebuilding of a more sane food system that respects the skills of farmers, and reconnects us to the source of our food. This is the first documentary in an upcoming series of farm portraits.

Chez Schwartz
Directed by: Garry Beitel, Canada, 2006, 83 mins.
Chez Schwartz depicts a year in the life of Schwartz’s Deli – the unique 75-year-old landmark on Montreal’s historic Main. Filmed through changing seasons, from the quiet of early morning preparation to the frenetic bustle of packed lunch times and never ending line-ups, to the more relaxed ambience late at night. Chez Schwartz is an evocative, cinematic portrait of a small spunky deli known worldwide equally for its atmosphere and smoked meat.

THURSDAY MARCH 25

The Story of Food
USC Canada, Canada, 2009, 5 mins.
USC Canada’s The Story of Food will get you thinking about our broken food system. The short, animated film uncovers the downside of genetically modified crops, along with the problems faced by today’s family farms. Encouraging consumers to think before they buy, USC Canada identifies what’s gone wrong with our food system, and what we can do to rebuild it.

Indigenous Plant Diva
Directed by: Kamala Todd, Canada, 2008, 9 mins.
In the language of the Squamish Nation, Cease Wyss was given the name ‘T’Uy’Tanat’, meaning “Woman who travels by canoe to gather medicines for all people.” In director Kamala Todd’s lyrical portrait, Wyss reveals the remarkable healing powers of plants growing among the sprawling urban streets of downtown Vancouver.

Whether it’s the secret curl of a fiddlehead, the gentleness of comfrey, or the blood red streaks of frog leaf, plants carry with them millennia of wisdom, communicated through colour, texture and form. Cease Wyss has been listening to this unspoken language, and is now passing this ancient and intimate sense of connection to her own daughter, Senaqwila.

DIRT! The Movie
Directed by: Bill Benenson and Gene Rosow, USA, 2009, 86 mins.
DIRT! The Movie will take you inside the wonders of the soil. It tells the story of Earth’s most valuable and under-appreciated source of fertility from its miraculous beginning to its crippling degradation. Narrated by actress Jamie Lee Curtis, this film brings to life the environmental, economic, social and political impact that the soil has. It shares the stories of experts from all over the world who study and are able to harness the beauty and power of a respectful and mutually beneficial relationship with soil.