FOOD ON FILM: SUMMER // THE MEAT DEBATE

Dir. Liz Marshall

2020 | 84 mins (film), 60mins (panel) | Canada

Imagine a world where real meat is produced sustainably without the need to breed, raise and slaughter animals. This is no longer science fiction, it’s now within reach. At the forefront of this urgent frontier is Mayo Clinic trained cardiologist Dr Uma Valeti, the co-founder and CEO of Upside Foods (previously Memphis Meats), the leading start-up of the “cultivated” meat revolution. From the world’s first meatball which cost $18,000 per pound to the first chicken fillet and duck a l’orange for half the cost, the film follows Valeti and his team over five years as the cost of production plummets, and consumers’ eye the imminent birth of this timely industry. Exploring a game-changing solution, Meat the Future is narrated by Jane Goodall and features music by Moby.

This screening will be introduced by Celia Plender and followed by a panel discussion.

The Panel

The panel discussion will feature Illtud Dunsford from Cellular Agriculture Ltd. the first UK startup in the cultured protein space as well as cultural historian and author of Meat Planet: Artificial Flesh and the Future of Food Ben Wurgaft, and Professor of Nutritional Physiology at the University of Exeter Ben Wall whose work engages with alternative proteins. The discussion will be chaired by anthropologists Jess Fagin from the University of Exeter who researches practices of sheep slaughter in England in so called “conventional” and halal slaughterhouses. Jess also teaches on the MA Food Studies.

FOOD ON FILM: IN FOUR SEASONS

Summer // The Meat Debate

In recent years, more and more people have been asking questions about meat – its ethics, sustainability and alternatives. In this season we start to unpack the ‘meat debate’.

On the 11th July we kick off with FOOD FOR THOUGHT which asks if it’s possible to produce meat in an environmentally sustainable way.

Next up is MEAT THE FUTURE (25th) which takes a look into the lab-grown meat industry. As it follows the fortunes of one California-based company, the documentary also asks if ‘clean meat’ might be an ethical and pro-environmental alternative to conventional production.

We then finish with the family friendly Aardman animation Chicken Run, for a chicken’s eye view. There will also be panel discussions featuring climate scientists, plant-based activists, producers and more, plus a chance to taste a range of plant-based dishes.”

For our full Food on Film programme, tap here >>

VENUE: EXETER PHOENIX, STUDIO 74

*Subject to a £1.50 ticketing system charge. We don’t charge this to make a profit. Find out more >>