Field Notes from Sundance Film Festival
One long day at the All Things Food & Environment storytelling summit
When you get invite-only tickets to attend Food Tank’s All Things Food and Environment summit at Sundance Film Festival, you book your flights and go. I was fortunately able to subsidize the flight with points and crash with a kind friend’s kind parents to make the harebrained trip possible. Red eye there, red eye back, landing at 6:30AM in NYC to make it for my 10:30AM pilates birthday party.
Was it worth it? Absolutely.
The 8.5-hour day was filled with back-to-back panels of corporate sustainability executives, educators, chefs, and filmmakers sharing their impassioned visions of impactful storytelling. The panels were interspersed with trailers from relevant films and short breaks to grab as much food as possible - freshly grilled seafood for lunch and brand-donated snacks throughout - before ending with an open bar reception and live DJ whose soundtrack required our casual networking chatter to rise to the volume of house party shouts.
I’ll spare you the list of professional crushes I snagged short but meaningful conversations with and instead share my favorite messages from the day.
Panel: From the Ground Up - Stories From the Field
After screenings of Food, Inc and Super Size Me in middle school, Kiss the Ground was the first food film I saw that filled me with hope for a better future. Many credit it as bringing regenerative agriculture to public attention and in part catalyzing the regen movement we see today. Filmmaker Josh Tickell took the stage in an ornately patterned velvet blazer with an endearingly mismatched checkered scarf to talk about what his trilogy of documentaries (Kiss the Ground, Common Ground, and the upcoming Groundswell) exist to fix: we’ve depleted a significant portion of our topsoil, the land has become addicted to synthetic inputs, and glyphosate has invaded our blood. According to Josh, Kiss the Ground has catalyzed 34 million acres of farmland to transition to regenerative practices since the release of the first film, progressing towards the goal of 100 million acres. Josh exudes enthusiasm and I am inspired by his ability to tell agricultural stories with such artistry.
Panel: A New Narrative for Food and Agriculture
According to Julia Collins, founder of Moonshot Snacks (purchased by Patagonia Provisions) and Planet FWD and definite professional crush, “data and storytelling is like peanut butter and jelly.” While data may convince conceptually, stories inspire action. Without data, there’s no credibility; without storytelling, there’s no relatability. People-centered stories outlast scientific stories, requiring us to humanize scientific concepts for a wider audience.
Fireside Chat: How Retailers Can Combat Climate Change
A consistent theme throughout the day, from CEO of Whole Foods Jason Buechel and CSO of Sprouts Market Brandon Lombardi to Indigenous Chef Bleu Adams and filmmaker Matt Coddaire was that we have lost the farmer in our detached understanding of food. When farmers’ crops are devastated by the impacts of climate change, retailers source those products elsewhere, sparing the consumer the pain (and knowledge) of the farmers’ loss. Consumer education is crucial (what’s new?) to elevate the farmer, respect their work, and make the connection between food in store and the growers behind it. Chef Adams said it best: “Don’t forget the hands that feed you. They’re at risk.”
Panel: Chefs Changing the World
Seasonality and locality were also pillars of several conversations. Two quotes from Chef Adrian Lipscombe, founder of the 40 Acres Project and ultimate badass activist: “You shouldn’t be eating avocados right now [aka in the dead of winter in Utah].” “If you are eating an apple from New Zealand, put it down.” Eat seasonal, eat local, support your local farmers. Does it require sacrifice? If we see it as such. But it also opens a world of opportunity for diverse foods not commercially viable for big-box grocery stores and enhanced nutrition from crops grown nearby. It’s also simply imperative for a sustainable food system.
Series Conversation: The Envoy Show: West Africa
Two of the last sessions were some of the most exciting for me. If you read my 2025 New Year’s Food Resolutions, you will know that I am already fascinated by climate resilient grains, particularly West African fonio. Chef Pierre Thiam (incredibly warm in person, with an almost unbelievable backstory) is responsible for championing fonio in the US market under his brand Yolélé, which is now available in Whole Foods nationwide. He teamed up with host Anne Marie Hagerty for the first episode of the upcoming The Envoy Show, where Anne Marie travels around the world to “uncover how governments are leveraging food to shape a more sustainable and equitable future.” She introduced this concept as culinary diplomacy, which is apparently the reason behind ubiquitous Thai restaurants in the US (to be explored in a future post?). The fonio episode is centered around how cultivation can support the wealth of local economies, consumer health, and environmental resilience through soil regeneration. As thousands of crops continue to disappear from our food system, Chef Pierre reminds us that “we are custodians of tradition” through our stories and actions.
Panel: Funding Stories That Change the World
The last panel tackled a topic some in the climate space have come to loathe but can’t ignore: funding. I knew it was going to be a good discussion when Rostam Zafari came out the gate acknowledging that we cannot keep “perpetuating systems of exploitation and celebrating exploiters.” After 8 years of working in private equity, it became clear to him that society needed a decentralization of resources rather than centralization (ahem, PE) to create vibrant local communities. Alison Furneaux of BlueIO advocated for builder capitalism instead of venture capitalism, investing in founders and ideas for long-term change rather than dumping money and waiting for a quick return. The panel was punctuated with clips from the collaborative documentary series How to Change the World highlighting 10 social entrepreneurs building solutions for everything from food insecurity to gun violence. I also loved hearing about the (Alex) Honnold Foundation’s approach to solar development from Peter Walle. Rather than “air dropping” solutions (eg, installing solar panels and bouncing), the foundation puts out open calls for communities to share their ideal solutions, focusing on immediate community needs over big bets with long lead times. The investors’ conclusion: The solutions are out there, they just need funding.
Food!
I missed breakfast, but lunch was an incredible array including invasive Chesapeake Bay blue catfish tacos with salsa macha by Chef Bleu Adams, plump Bristol Seafoods scallops by Chef Matt Fox, and smoked Kvaroy Arctic salmon topped with Kilo Caviar by Chef Eric Gephart (whose cooking is primally elemental, focusing on ingredients from the water and techniques based on fire), SIMPLi hummus and chili, Nature’s Fynd fermented mushroom meatballs, Yolélé fonio chips, and custom printed Tony’s Chocolonely sea salt and almond dark chocolate bars. Needless to say, we ate well.
To end, a quote from quirky Stephen Ritz, educator and founder of Green Bronx Machine: “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” A much needed reminder as I’m surrounded by people who seem to be living the dream, embodying different aspects of the career and creative pathways I find so fulfilling. The first step is the most important, then it’ll be time to figure out the next.
Events
Last chance for The Libi Project’s Culinary Industry Night Monday, January 27 6:30 PM!!
Farm to People’s Know Your Food Series on sustainable seafood with Hudson Valley Fisheries Tuesday, January 28 6:00 PM
Remarkable Ventures Climate Networking Happy Hour Hosted by Aon Wednesday, February 5 6:00 PM
Jobs
Fractional PR role in social impact/sustainability @ Public Inc.
Staff Reporter @ Civil Eats
Communications Team Member & Vegan Programs Team Member @ Food Empowerment Project
Multiple roles @ Food52
Multiple roles @ Forage
Love & ski lodges,
Olivia
