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Day 14 @ MSPIFF 2016: '10 Billion -- What's On Your Plate?' Reviewed

At first, Valentin Thurn's latest food-focused documentary looks to be a bland piece on the threat of genetically-modified food and the specter of big agri-business. But the German filmmaker and journalist goes deeper, much deeper into the issues surrounding food production -- traveling from Japan to Africa to Milwaukee, exploring new ideas and approaches to foodmaking, some of which are unforgettably cool. Thurn's constant probing and pretentious-but-forgivable inquisitive persona makes this film more compelling than almost anything on the Netflix food apocalypse menu.

As the title suggests, the main question Thurn seeks to answer is: How are we possibly going to feed 10 billion people later this century? The big corporations say their hybrid plants and powerful fertilizers are the answer, but Thurn is uber skeptical – perhaps even too skeptical – that company labs will ever hold the answer to this problem. Instead, the filmmaker turns to organic farming and how agriculture works in some of the world's poorest countries, like Malawi in Africa. In the end, he ends up pushing for a local, sustainable approach to agriculture that'll have people intensively farming small plots of land -- and waving goodbye to Monsanto and Whole Foods alike.

The most interesting bits of the film, however, come toward the end, when Thurn explores ways in which different people are solving food problems across the globe. He visits the urban farms built by former basketball pro Will Allen in Milwaukee, he meets a woman who amazingly grows edible plants in every bit of green space in her English town, and in northern Europe he shows us what a lab-grown hamburger looks like on a frying pan. The main takeaway from Thurn's exploration is that the future of food isn't -- and shouldn't be -- up to bigwigs atop multinational corporations. Instead, new ideas and age-old practices can come together to create a future where food is abundant, healthy and environmentally friendly. All it takes is colossal social change.

10 Billion – What's On Your Plate? is playing on April 20 at 4:30 p.m. at the St. Anthony Main Theatre. A group discussion on the film will follow the screening.

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Other Highlights For Wednesday, April 20

The Idol (Hany Abu-Assad, Palestine/UK/Qatar/Netherlands/United Arab Emirates) A heartwarming and often funny biopic on the rise of Palestinian singer Mohammad Assaf, The Idol is a welcome shift in the work of Oscar-nominated filmmaker Hany Abu-Assad, and it features some phenomenal child performances. For the festival review, click here. (7:10; St. Anthony Main Theatre)

Atomic Falafel (Dror Shaul, Israel/New Zealand/Germany) A comedy on Israeli-Iranian relations that's been called the Israeli Dr. Strangelove. It's about two teenage girls working to stop a nuclear war between their respective countries. (7:20; Anthony Main Theatre)

Embrace the Serpent (Ciro Guerra, Colombia/Venezuela/Argentina) If you missed this Oscar-nominated gem, cruise down to Rochester to see one of the best films from the Amazon since Werner Herzog did battle in the jungle with his nemesis/friend/leading maniac Klaus Kinski. (9:00; Rochester Galaxy 14 Cine)

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For the festival schedule, and a complete listing of all the movies being shown, click here. Ticket information is available here.

Throughout the entirety of the 2016 Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival, WCCO.com will be spotlighting one notable movie each day, along with other notable screenings. To see WCCO.com's complete coverage on the MSPIFF, click here.

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