Why Not Watch?
One of the most loveable things about movie night? Everybody ends up contributing food. It almost goes without saying. Magic: Poof! Chocolate. Tadaaa! Chips. Be it sweet or savoury, healthy or a sprurge, supermarket bestsellers or baked dreams come true – food brings us together. It’s like glue, just in a tasty, non-toxic way. And we stick to it. We are as devoted to gathering, eating and talking today as humans always have been, with the fine distinction that we now have a multitude of films available that also give us food for thought. With that said there was only one thing for us to do: expand our collection of movie snacks to provide you with some simple ideas for something you can pull out of your hat at the next movie night!
Here are twelve new recipes that will open your hearts and minds for nights of meaningful conversation with the people that matter to you…
Savoury:
The heart and soul of Influence Film Club is getting people together to talk about stories. Here are 10 reasons why we think you should start a doc film club:
1. Great excuse to get your friends together
2. Leave Hollywood and go on a real journey
3. Feed your intellectual curiosity
4. Discover what you’re passionate about – and share it with others
5. Spark interesting conversations that stay with you
6. Find out what your friends and family really care about
7. Meet new people in your community
8. Its like a book club for busy people
9. Dig deeper into stories, issues, and what it means to be alive
10. It’s free
We’d love to hear how it’s going with your club! Feel free to drop us a line at forum@influencefilm.com
How well do you know your documentaries?
We’re at Tribeca film festival this week, handing out decks of discussion cards representing 45 of our favorite documentaries. Each card has a beautiful image from a film, plus a conversational question on the back. Not only are the cards a fun way to break the ice, but they’re also a great way to get to know friends and family better. Use them in your film clubs, dinner parties, or at the family breakfast table. Take them on long flights or road trips to meaningfully pass the time. Challenge yourself with one question each day.
Or… take the Influence Film Club Challenge! Simply match the images on the cards to the films they represent. Check your answers in the file below.
If you did not receive a card deck, don’t worry. You can still participate in the challenge. Find the 45 images on our Pinterest board, then come back here to check your answers.
Have fun, and let us know how you’re using your discussion cards!
No matter how cozy one’s living room is, people tend to congregate in the kitchen. Historically, food and drink has always helped bring people together. Whether at large social gatherings, or in family conversations that linger for hours over the dinner table, there is something potent in the combination of food and meaningful conversation. With this in mind, we are offering some ideas for simple snacks you can share with your film clubs. Sweet or savoury, they’re all easy to prepare. The films on our site will give you plenty to talk about, and these movie snacks will keep the conversation going. Enjoy!
Sweet
Sweet and Crunchy Nut Seed Clusters, from 3191 Miles Apart
Salted Dark Chocolate Popcorn, from The Kitchn
3-ingredient Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, from Skinny Taste
Dark Chocolate + Ginger Flatbreads, from Sprouted Kitchen
Homemade Apple Chips, from A Beautiful Mess
Cinnamon and Chocolate Covered Nuts, from Green Kitchen Stories
Savoury
Chile Lime Tequila Popcorn, from 101 Cookbooks
7 Secrets to a Beautiful Cheese Board, from Design Mom
Smoked Salmon Potato Tartine, from Blogging Over Thyme
Champagne Onion Dip, from Gather Journal
Spicy Fennel, Orange and Garlic Marinated Olives, from Local Milk
Bite-size Omelet with Peas, Proscuitto, and Saffron, from Kitchen Culinaire
Dear friends and friends of friends,
Welcome to what we hope is the beginning of a long meaningful conversation and a love affair with documentary film. We want to invite you into a space where you can engage with incredible stories that will move you, open your mind, and challenge the way you see the world.
My invitation into documentary film began in 2005 when one of my closest friends called and suggested that we make a film together. It took two years, but that’s what we did, and I have been hooked ever since. At that time, I was a new mother feeling isolated and yearning for some kind of intellectual stimulation in my increasingly hectic life. So I made a decision to invite some friends over to watch and discuss “my” documentary.
That evening was the beginning of a long meaningful conversation, which has continued over several years. Documentaries give us a platform for having some of the most meaningful and important conversations. We laugh, we cry, and sometimes we get angry, but we always part with deeper friendships.
My hope is that Influence Film Club will provide you with the tools and resources you need to facilitate a small intimate film club of your own. Please be in touch and tell us how it’s going. We hope that you will love it enough to pass on the invitation, because that’s all it takes!
Sincerely,
Cristina Ljungberg
Co-founder, Influence Film
As March approaches, we can’t help but start to feel a little Oscar fever. Five fantastic films have been nominated for Best Documentary Feature:
THE ACT OF KILLING, by Joshua Oppenheimer and Signe Byrge Sørensen
CUTIE AND THE BOXER, by Zachary Heinzerling and Lydia Dean Pilcher
DIRTY WARS, by Richard Rowley and Jeremy Scahill
THE SQUARE, by Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer
20 FEET FROM STARDOM by Morgan Neville, Gil Friesen and Caitrin Rogers
It was a tough decision, but Influence Film chooses THE ACT OF KILLING to win this year’s Oscar for Best Documentary Feature! Since attending The Puma Impact Awards in NYC a few months ago, we have not been able to stop thinking about Joshua Oppenheimer’s masterpiece about the 1965 mass killings in Indonesia, featuring the real mass murderers who eagerly reenact the brutal events of 1965. This film is revolutionary in its class, pushing the entire genre of documentary filmmaking into new definitions. We were on the edge of our seat throughout the entire film. It’s a MUST see.
More information on the 86th Academy Awards can be found here.
Read The Guardian’s review of THE ACT OF KILLING.