A K-State-created documentary — a prize winner at film festivals in New York and Cannes — captures how one Kansas organization is fighting food insecurity
About 14% of Kansans face food insecurity daily, but a new student-produced film shows how communities are fighting back against hunger.
The K-State documentary won Best Social Justice Film at the New York International Film Awards and Best Food Film at the Cannes World Film Festival, as well as many other awards.
Behind the scenes
A team of K-State graduate and undergraduate students spent their spring break creating a documentary about Emmaus House in Garden City, Kansas. “The Table We Share” explains how Emmaus House serves as a homeless shelter, soup kitchen and food distribution center to combat food insecurity.
The team included Tom Hallaq, associate professor in the A.Q. Miller School of Media and Communications; Jessica Ramirez, a doctoral candidate in leadership communications; Brock Edwards, a graduate student in sociology; and a few others.
Edwards was the editor of the documentary, and his research is centered around how rural Americans with different beliefs find common ground through working through hardships together.
“This project became one of the most meaningful parts of my education,” Edwards said. “Not only did I get to apply the ethnographic skills I developed from courses, but I also gained a deeper understanding of the strength and connection in these communities by listening to the people’s stories. It completely changed how I think about food access.”
Ramirez coordinated the interviews and conducted them in both English and Spanish. As a child, her family benefited from places like the Emmaus House, so she has a strong connection to stories like these.
“It can be easy to reduce food insecurity to an abstract issue or a political buzzword, but it is a daily reality for millions,” Ramirez said. “I know that reality personally, and that lived experience deepens my commitment to community-engaged research and scholarship to improve lives in Kansas and beyond.
“Projects like this are why I am proud to be part of a land-grant institution,” she said. “The knowledge and skills we gain allow us to share stories, grow empathy and co-create collaborative strategies that move us closer to a more equitable state, country and world for all.”
Watch the documentary and learn more about the project
By Kate Ellwood
Curated from K-State team produces award-winning documentary on food insecurity in Kansas