The Gracie Theatre at Husson University to Air Documentary About Food Issues
Published on: November 4, 2014
BANGOR, MAINE - The Gracie Theatre at Husson University will screen the documentary film “Fed Up” on Thursday, November 6 at 7:00 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public.
“Fed Up,” produced and narrated by Katie Couric, describes the rise of obesity in America. The film places the blame squarely on “big sugar.” Claiming that the documentary is the movie the sugar industry doesn’t want you to see, Couric, her co-producer Laurie David (An Inconvenient Truth) and director Stephanie Soechtig (Tapped), create a motion picture that no one (who eats) should miss.
According to the National Institutes of Health, the second leading cause of preventable death in the United States is obesity and excessive weight. An estimated 300,000 deaths per year are due to obesity.
Despite the recent public attention given to healthcare calamities like Ebola, most Americans continue to be unaware that a more sinister “epidemic” is quietly undermining their well-being. In an effort to increase awareness of this public health crisis and motivate individuals to take action, “Fed Up” does to the sugar industry what Fast Food Nation did to the fast food industry and what An Inconvenient Truth did to the issue of global warming.
The New York Times said that the documentary was “a call to action that pinpoints the problems and identifies the players,” while The Washington Post declared the film to be, “a rallying cry that cannot be ignored.”
Immediately prior to the screening of “Fed Up", Husson University Assistant Professor of Nutrition Dr. Yanyan Li and Ethics and Philosophy Program Lecturer, Dr. Nico Jenkins will lead a discussion about issues facing Mainers in 2014. As part of the conversation, Li and Jenkins will seek to engage the audience in some of the pressing questions raised by the documentary, including what we, as a nation, should do to address this growing healthcare crisis and the estimated 90 million individuals who are thought to be obese.
“The purpose of our documentary film series is to stimulate public awareness and conversations about difficult issues. “Fed Up” does all that and more,” said Jenkins.
For more information about the screening, contact the box office at The Gracie at 941-7888 or visit GracieTheatre.com.
Completed in October of 2009, The Gracie is Husson University's center for the fine and performing arts. This beautiful new 500-seat theatre is quickly earning a reputation as one of Maine’s premier performance venues. In addition, The Gracie also serves as a learning platform for students from the New England School of Communications in digital audio, sound mixing, set design and construction, lighting, acting and electronics. For more information, visit GracieTheatre.com
For more than 100 years, Husson University has prepared future leaders to handle the challenges of tomorrow through innovative undergraduate and graduate degrees. With a commitment to delivering affordable classroom, online and experiential learning opportunities, Husson University has come to represent superior value in higher education. Our Bangor campus and off-campus satellite education centers in Southern Maine, Wells and Northern Maine provide advanced knowledge in business; health and education; pharmacy studies, science and humanities; as well as communication. In addition, Husson University has a robust adult learning program. For more information about educational opportunities that can lead to personal and professional success, visit Husson.edu