CULTURE
By Sister Rose Pacatte, FSP
Sister Rose Pacatte, FSP
FAVORITE
LENTENTHEMED
FILMS The Help (2011) Mass (2021) The Way (2010) Schindler’s List (1993) Hacksaw Ridge (2016)
?
WANT MORE? Visit our website: StAnthonyMessenger.org
A
nthony Bourdain, the beloved food pilgrim and writer, once said, “Food may not be the answer to world peace, but at least it’s a start.” The Israeli version of Britain’s MasterChef premiered in 2010 to great acclaim. In 2014, Dr. Nof Atamna-Ismaeel—a microbiologist, chef, wife, and mother of three from a town in northern Israel—became the first Muslim Arab to win Israel’s most-watched Sunday show. A year later, she cofounded the A-Sham Arabic Food Festival in Haifa. This superb documentary tells the story of the festival that pairs Muslim, Jewish, and Christian chefs collaborating to bring back dishes that have gone extinct or those “with a lot of meaning.” Atamna-Ismaeel believes that “there is no room for politics in the kitchen” and sets out to prove it by modeling peace between people who are often thought to be at odds. She believes that the world sees Israel as 90 percent conflict. The reality, however, is that the country is made up of community and fellowship. I first saw Breaking Bread at the 2019 Jerusalem Jewish Film Festival and was overwhelmed by the beauty of American producer/director Beth Elise Hawk’s immersion into Arab-Israeli cuisine at the food festival. From the beginning, you are drawn in and transported to another place by the mouthwatering visuals of something as simple as making hummus, which, if you have ever visited the Middle East, never tastes the same twice. Now making its theatrical premiere in US theaters, this documentary is a celebration of food, humanity, and the willingness to live in peace built on mutual respect and art. Because the chefs were paired off before filming began, there is an authenticity to their interactions and passion for food, rather than the artificial construction of reality television shows in this country. The food festival is about collaboration—not competition. Hawk explained in one interview that Atamna-Ismaeel is aware of the conflict between Arabs and Jews. “They are aware of this and know that what transpired at the A-Sham Festival was the antithesis of politics, where food was the great equalizer, a unifier rather than divider. I tried my best to be sensitive to the cultural nuances of both sides and maintain a balance in the structure (without affecting the film’s integrity), as much as possible in postproduction.” The resulting film, a delight for the eyes and the heart, feels so inviting that Haifa may become a destination for foodies everywhere. Not yet rated • No objectionable material.
42 • March 2022 | StAnthonyMessenger.org
LAST LOOKS: ROMULUS ENTERTAINMENT; THE TENDER BAR: AMAZON CONTENT SERVICES LLC
Sister Rose’s
BREAKING BREAD
LEFT: COURTESY SISTER ROSE PACATTE, FSP/MIKE BLAKE/REUTERS; BREAKING BREAD: COHEN MEDIA GROUP
Sister Rose is a Daughter of St. Paul and the founding director of the Pauline Center for Media Studies. She has been the awardwinning film columnist for St. Anthony Messenger since 2003 and is the author of several books on Scripture and film, as well as media literacy education.
