Hummus the Movie

Universally consumed and found in at least 25% of all U.S. households, it's safe to say hummus, a spread made from chickpeas and tahini, is a delicious staple of worldwide cuisine. This documentary takes us to Israel, which claims the food as it own, to meet three passionate hummus aficionados and hear their stories. Jalil is a young Christian-Arab man from Ramle who has taken over his family's hummus restaurant, but is also struggling with the urge to start his own restaurant and forge his own path in life. Eliyahu is a former dread-headed vagrant who decided to settle down and embrace the Hasidic Jewish community, opening a chain of successful kosher hummus restaurants. Perhaps most inspirational is Suheila, the only woman to own her own business in the Arab market, who won the Golden Pita Award for Best Hummus, beating 10 men for the title. Combining the stories of each individual's personal journey with historical hummus facts and delicious footage of the hummus-making process, director Oren Rosenfeld's documentary shows how the food has positively affected Israeli culture—and is even able to transcend religious and political divides. (Seattle International Film Festival)