CERES FOOD × FILM is a year-round platform for food storytelling. Through film, conversation, and community gatherings, we explore the culture, systems, and people shaping what and how we eat.
CERES partners with universities, cultural institutions, chefs, filmmakers, and food innovators to present work that examines food as a lens on culture, labor, climate, equity, and pleasure.
Recent programs have featured voices including Ruth Reichl, Laura Gabbert (City of Gold), Chris Morocco (Bon Appétit), Priyanka Naik, and Jaeki Cho, alongside collaborations with New York University, Lonely Whale, Rethink Food, Kiss the Ground, and Stone Barns.
● YEAR-ROUND SUBMISSIONS
CERES accepts submissions year-round.
Projects may be considered for a variety of CERES programs, including our annual Spring festival in New York City, virtual presentations, standalone screenings, thematic series, partner events, and future programming opportunities.
Because CERES programs work throughout the year, there is no single submission cycle or deadline. Films remain under consideration as opportunities arise.
● SPRING SEASON | FLAGSHIP EVENT
Each spring, CERES presents its flagship Food × Film season in New York City and virtually, bringing together filmmakers, chefs, journalists, scholars, and audiences through screenings, conversations, and community events.
The Spring season is one part of Ceres’ year-round programming.
● WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR
CERES welcomes short and feature documentaries, experimental work, animation, new media, and episodic or pilot projects that engage meaningfully with food — from access and equity to climate, culture, labor, pleasure, and gastronomy.
● QUESTIONS BEFORE SUBMITTING
○ What does “food film” mean to Ceres?
For us, food is not a genre but a lens. Films may center chefs, farmers, labor, policy, climate, ritual, migration, science, pleasure, or unexpected intersections. If food is meaningfully present in your work, it likely belongs in the conversation.
○ Are premieres required?
CERES accepts both premiere and non-premiere submissions.
○ What stage of completion must my film be in?
Films should be substantially complete at submission. Rough cuts may be considered if narrative structure and editorial direction are clearly established.
○ Do you accept international submissions?
CERES welcomes filmmakers from around the world.
○ Are films in languages other than English eligible?
Certainly; non-English films must include English subtitles.
○ How are films selected?
Submissions are reviewed by Ceres’ programming team. We consider storytelling craft, clarity of perspective, thematic resonance, and meaningful engagement with food and its broader cultural, social, or environmental context.
CERES presents a range of juried awards during its spring festival recognizing excellence in storytelling, impact, and creative vision within food and food systems media.
Awards include monetary prizes as well as special distinctions and may vary by year. Past honors have included Jury Awards for Best Feature, Best Short, and Special Jury Recognition, alongside Spirit Awards recognizing work in areas such as Visual Storytelling, Food Justice, and Sustainable Futures.
Full award details are announced as part of the festival program.
