Meet Julia Joun of Flatirons Food Film Festival in Boulder

Today we’d like to introduce you to Julia Joun.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
It all starts with an ongoing love of food and film in equal measures.

As far as food goes:

I started the Black Cat blog.

Keep track of Front Range food culture (restaurants, food events, breweries and distilleries, etc.)

Frequent the Boulder Farmers Market regularly enough that farmers know me.

Have formidable cookbook and wine collections.

My vacations tend to be self-directed tours of markets and restaurants.

As far as film goes:

I attend the Telluride Film Festival every year.

I am a lifelong film junkie/lover (aren’t those things the same?)

I read the New York Times movie reviews every Thursday.

The beginning of the story was that I was the only adult  International Film Series (IFS) volunteer, dedicated to promoting this jewel of an arthouse film series. In 2012, I decided that I could help best by creating a food film festival. Slowly, we became an independent organization, getting 501c3 nonprofit status in 2016. We grow every year with a greater audience and more activities. This year, we have added a lecture series and collaboration with visual artists, who create work inspired by our films.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
A smooth road means a lack of challenges. I associate challenges with growth, creative responses, and developing ingenuity. We deal with adversity all of the time. As a small but mighty nonprofit, raising enough funds to hold the festival every year is a large obstacle.

However, this struggle led us to start applying for arts-oriented grants. The questions and viewpoints of these grant applications have made us rethink our program and proceed in unanticipated directions. Collaborations with other arts organizations and incorporating other artistic disciplines are some examples of how seeking grants have changed us.

We are a work in progress full of ambition but not as adept at marshaling the resources necessary to easily fulfill our dreams. Greater funding and more staff and volunteers would go a long way to letting us do more.

Flatirons Food Film Festival – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
The Flatirons Food Film Festival (Oct. 10-13, www.flatironsfoodfilmfest.org) is an annual multi-day film festival intended to bring together those interested in eating, food culture, and food issues. It screens a mix of US and international feature and documentary films that address a wide range of food-related topics and issues. It also presents film-related culinary and social events like tastings and receptions, engages expert speakers for every film, presents panel discussions, and brings distinguished visiting speakers to enhance the educational and convivial aspects of the films. Our mission is to celebrate food culture and community by hosting a series of films and events intended to entertain, educate, and inspire.

Our commitment to diverse programming is reflected in a schedule that balances screenings that include critically-acclaimed films about food politics, classic food films, a children’s food film program, multi-cultural films featuring other societies and their cuisines, and films that focus on sustainable agriculture. Previous topics have included hunger in America, food waste, saving seeds in the face of climate change, chefs, restaurants, permaculture, a culinary opera, and fermented food.

There only a handful of food film festivals in the nation. While there are a slew of amazing food festivals and events in Colorado, we are the only food film festival in the state.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Like Groundhog Day, but different, my proudest moment occurs after every Festival. A successful Festival is a marvel. We plan all year for this four-day offering to the public. Artistic success, enjoyment and learning by our audience, and being able to pay for all of it is incredibly gratifying. It requires a lot of work by many hands. To see it come together is incredible.

Pricing:

• Most film screenings are $13 for general admission.
• Our Tribute to Diana Kennedy on Saturday, Oct. 12 costs $25 because we offer a feast with offerings from top restaurants, film screenings, and visiting speaker Chef Claudette Zepeda
• Our schedule includes numerous free events, including a kids’ filmmaking event

Contact Info:

• Address: 2525 Arapahoe Avenue, Suite E4-517, Boulder, CO 80302
• Website:  www.flatironsfoodfilmfest.org for comprehensive information on our Oct.10-13 festival, ticketing links, an to join our mailing list
• Phone: We prefer to be contacted electronically
• Email: info@flatironsfoodfilmfest.org
• Instagram: flatironsfoodfilmfest

Image Credit:
I don’t have time to dig up a credit line but the photographer is Bryan Edwards

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