Bozeman Doc Series presents early showing of “Food Inc. 2”

Last Thursday, Feb. 15, members of the Bozeman community gathered at the Emerson Center for the Arts & Culture to watch a special sneak peek of “Food Inc. 2,” a yet-to-be-released sequel to the 2008 documentary “Food Inc.”The event was organized by the Bozeman Doc Series, as part of their ninth season of a bi-weekly screening series.

“This is one of the benefits of having done this for nine years now,” Bozeman Doc Series curator Jason Burlage said. “I know the distributors that picked [Food Inc. 2] up, so I just asked if we could have an early screening. I asked, and I was quite shocked when they said yes. This will be the Montana premiere of the film.” 

“Food Inc.”examines problematic practices in the modern food industry. 15 years later, “Food Inc. 2”investigates how the COVID-19 pandemic exposed various weaknesses in the modern food supply chain. The film explores large corporate monopolies and the devastating impacts their business practices wreak on the environment. Further, the film explores topics such as community health, human and animal rights. 

“I think the film is inspiring in a lot of ways,” Burlage said. “It's identifying problems and finding solutions. We've shown quite a few food and agriculture-focused films over the years and Bozeman definitely responds to those films. I feel a responsibility to find one each year as spring gets closer and people start getting out in the gardens.”

The Bozeman Doc Series began hosting screenings in 2014 with the goal of bringing impactful documentaries to Bozeman residents who would not have otherwise had access to these films. 

“There's so many great films out there. I went to film school here, and I started to go down to Sundance every year,” Burlage said. “At that time I was totally into fiction films. But, every year I would go down to Sundance, and each year the best film I had seen was a documentary. That's how I started to work in documentaries. It's just that idea that there's so many great films out here that people here never see.” 

Burlage created the series with the hopes of offering the Bozeman community a space to harbor conversations and a sense of togetherness. 

“Since the beginning, [The Bozeman Doc Series] has become a bigger thing than I ever expected it to be,” Burlage said. “So many films people see now — it’s them sitting at home on their laptop. Seeing a film in a theater, with other members of your community is a different experience. It can wake you up, it can inspire you.”  

The Bozeman Doc Series holds screenings every other Thursday from Oct. through April, with the help of a growing group of dedicated Bozeman community members. Kristen Rainey is one of the Bozeman Doc Series team members.

“I am the managing director of the Doc Series,” Rainey said. “I help run the operation and lead the volunteers, I do a lot of logistics to pull off the event. I just started in December in that role.” 

Even though Rainey has only recently started working for the series, she has been a long-time attendee.

“I would be really upset if I was out of town and missed a film,” she said. “I just so appreciate what Jason has been curating over the years. It’s a really fantastic opportunity to get involved.”

Rainey further described her passion for the films shown by the Doc Series, especially ones like “Food Inc. 2.”

 “In my prior life I worked in sustainable food. So this was right up my alley,” Rainey said. “I actually rewatched the first film last night because it was so long ago. Issues they discuss in the film are very close to my heart and my career.” 

“I am really excited we’re doing the sneak preview of the second one. I think ultimately, a lot of people in this country have no idea where their food is coming from and they have no idea what the true cost is. I think it is really important for people to understand the challenges and complexities of our food systems,” she said. 

The bi-weekly Thursday screenings start at 7 p.m. and doors open at 6:30 p.m. Schedules, locations and ticket purchasing can be found on The Bozeman Doc Series website.

“We have a really wide range of topics,” Rainey said. “We have a student rate at ten dollars per ticket. We would really love to have students come. I think some of these films would really rock their world.” 

“Swan Song,” which won the award for Best Canadian Film Documentary at the Calgary International Film Festival in 2023, will be shown next Thursday, Feb. 29 at the Emerson Center for the Arts & Culture. 

“These films are [ones] that will wake you up,” Burlage said. “They will show you windows into worlds you would never see otherwise. They're not always easy films - they're films that will affect people in a lasting way. I think that about every film we've shown this year. We are on a roll. This is one of the strongest seasons we've ever had. Every film has been really really good.”