The Sacred Foodways of Film
Theological Servings in 11 Food Films
Imprint: Pickwick Publications
The Sacred Foodways of Film explores the ways by which the portrayal of food in film offers creative spaces for theological insight. From the Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg produced title The Hundred-Foot Journey (2014) to the Oscar Best Foreign Language Film winner from Japan Departures (2008), eleven diverse films invite us to taste and see the mutually enriching blend of food and faith depicted onscreen. Smithsonian magazine describes the last two decades as "The Era of Crazed Oral Gratification." The explosion of interest in food culture, what is touted as the "foodie revolution," is evident across media platforms in the United States as well as in many other parts of the world. Curiously, there has not been a book specifically dedicated to the confluence of theology/religion and food films. The Sacred Foodways of Film is a timely contribution to this fascinating area of interest that has long been simmering on the stovetop of scholarship.
Antonio D. Sison, CPPS, PhD, faculty member at Catholic Theological Union at Chicago, is the author of World Cinema, Theology, and the Human (2012) and Screening Schillebeeckx: Theology and Third Cinema in Dialogue (2006). A digital filmmaker, his work ICHTHUS (2006), a theological art film showcased at various film festivals and academic circles, is one of the case studies of this book.
"Do I dare say how quickly I devoured this book? Sison blends three of my passions: food, film, and theology to concoct a brilliant guide that will satisfy the novice and film foodie alike. Even more, he introduces us to fascinating lesser-known films, expanding the genre, enlarging the table. I hope many will 'eat this book'!"
--Leslie Leyland Fields, author of The Spirit of Food: 34 Writers on Feasting and Fasting toward God
"In The Sacred Foodways of Film, Antonio Sison evokes, provokes, and nourishes our theological imagination with a diversity of films containing food imagery charged with visceral power. He transforms the current so-called 'foodie revolution'--within the field of global cinema--into a rich and complex theological feast. By theologically engaging films with a food motif, Sison exquisitely re-narrates the numerous radical gestures of Jesus' acts of feeding the hungry and his welcoming all human communities into a scared and inclusive banquet. Sison invites us to savor an excellent menu of foodways-oriented cinematic expressions, turning them into food for thought, and making us aware of both our mundane/bodily and sacred/spiritual appetite."
--Angel F. Mendez-Montoya, author of The Theology of Food: Eating and the Eucharist
"From the very first page, this beautiful and reflective book makes your mouth water. But, as the saying goes, 'hunger makes the best sauce' as Antonio Sison goes on to nourish your eyes, mind, heart, and soul. This is the work of a sensitive theologian, a talented artist, and a connoisseur of simple pleasures who finds beauty and meaning even in the most unlikely places."
--Stephen B. Bevans, author of Models of Contextual Theology
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