Announcing November's Food 'N Flix Selection "Pieces of April" (Kahakai Kitchen is Hosting!)

I have a particular fondness for independent films--especially the slightly quirky ones. For a couple of years after I moved to Hawaii, I had a bi-weekly Saturday ritual of heading to the (sadly now closed) local arthouse theater complex where I would escape by watching two, or sometimes even three independent movies in a day. I saw some great ones, some pretty bad ones, and many in between. It was there I first saw Pieces of April, a 2003 comedy-drama starring (pre-Tom) Katie Holmes, the always spot-on Oliver Platt and Patricia Clarkson, Derek Luke, and (a decidedly creepy) Sean Hayes. I liked it--quirky, slightly dark, funny but touching. Flash forward to 10-years later when I caught it on cable back in December 2013 and thought it would be a great November pick for Food 'N Flix--so, seeing no host for November 2014, I promptly emailed girlichef to ask Heather if I could host it.

Why is it a such great pick for November? It's about family and Thanksgiving. April Burns (Holmes) is estranged from her suburban family but invites them to Thanksgiving dinner. Since her mother (Clarkson) has breast cancer, it may well be her last Thanksgiving. April has an elaborate and traditional meal planned but when her oven doesn't work, she scrambles for help from the diverse set of neighbors in her tenement apartment building. Some are helpful, some (like Hayes) are definitely not. While April scrambles, her dysfunctional family (including her father--Platt) face their own challenges as they make the long trek into NYC. 

The fact that it was shot in 16 days for $300,000 and was written and directed by Peter Hedges (who wrote What's Eating Gilbert Grape and wrote the screenplay for About a Boy) adds to the slightly grubby charm. Hedges wrote the movie both inspired by his mother's battle with, and death from cancer and by a group of his friends who found their big Thanksgiving dinner plans derailed by a broken oven. Since there is almost always at least a bit of dysfunction in every family, and major cooking and eating holidays like Thanksgiving seem to amplify the drama potential, I thought it would be a fun pick. 

There are plenty of ways to go with this one--traditional Thanksgiving, favorite family recipes, road food and meals, ethnic dishes... and I look forward to seeing what my creative Food 'N Flix friends come up with!

Want to join in the Food 'N Flix fun?!

Here's how to participate:

• Watch the chosen film (Pieces of April) Taking inspiration from the film, head into the kitchen and cook, bake or make a dish.
• Post about your creation on your blog with a link back to THIS post and a link to Food 'N Flix. (Use of the Food 'N Flix logo is optional.)
• Your post must be current (during the month of the film). And we don't mind if your post is linked to other events...the more the merrier.
• Have fun with it!
• Email your entries to me at Debinhawaii@gmail.com and include:
• Your name
• Your blog's name and URL
• The name of your dish and the permalink to the specific post you're submitting
• Attach a photo of any size (or tell me which one to "pull" from your post)
• Indicate "Food 'N Flix Submission" in the subject line of your email 

Deadline for submission is Sunday, November 30th

(I'll be rounding up all of the Food 'N Flix entries here at Kahakai Kitchen very shortly after.)

I hope you join us!