
FOOD COOP takes us deep into the belly of the Park Slope Food Coop, one of America's oldest cooperative food supermarkets, with a healthy dose of insight and wit.
Nestled deep in New York City, which, for many, exemplifies both the glory and the horrors of the capitalist spirit, you can find this highly prosperous institution, just as American and certainly more efficient than Wall Street, but whose objective is entirely non-profit. Working against everything that defines "The American Way of Life," the basic principles of the Park Slope Food Coop are simple: each of its 16,000 members work 2.75 hours per month to earn the right to buy the best food in New York at incredibly low prices. This Brooklyn coop founded in 1973 is probably the best implemented socialist experience in the United States.
Through FOOD COOP, you will see this institution come to life and witness how the enthusiasm that animates the Park Slope Food Coop demonstrates a potential for change; how the coop's mode of participation viscerally teaches democracy to those who take part in its activities.
“An amusing and enlightening food exposé...Capture[s] the essence of this unique emporium.” —Hollywood Reporter
“An engaging and often humorous look at Brooklyn's socialist supermarket.” —Planet in Focus
“Exhilarating from the first to the last shot.” —Telerama
“This work wonderfully presents the successes and challenges that cooperative organizations face...Park Slope Food Co-op is a shining example of how people can work collectively - literally - to access quality products at affordable prices. As an educator, I appreciated that the film focused Park Slope's value-driven business: if you can tap into people's common values, you can build something really special that fulfills our collective human propensity for support and cooperation. I hope I can use this film in my own classroom soon!” —Keri L. Jacobs, Assistant Professor and Cooperatives Extension Economist, Department of Economics, Iowa State University
“Food Coop is a fabulous inside look at Park Slope, one of the most iconic food coops of the past half century. With some of the best footage of a cooperative I have seen, the filmmakers take us beyond the membership barriers to see how the coop functions on a day-to-day basis and to meet many of the personalities that make the coop so successful. Offering a vivid illustration of a cooperative economy at work, this film will be valuable both in and out of the classroom.” —Craig Borowiak, Associate Professor and Chair, Political Science, Haverford College
San Francisco Green Film Festival
Greenpeace Film Festival
Environmental Film Festival Australia
Deconstructing Dinner Film Fest
Marda Loop Justice Film Festival
Red Deer Justice Film Festival
Pelicam Film Festival
Belleville Downtown Docfest
Twin Cities Film Festival
Life Sciences Film Festival