Finding North Trailer

More than thirty nine million people in the U.S. - one in four of them children - don't know where their next meal is coming from. Hunger is a very real problem for the country; it's not just confined to third world countries in Africa.

The statistics might be shocking for many - those who are food insecure are ashamed to tell their friends and neighbours. This problem had all but been eradicated in the 1970's but problems with the economy prompted the Reagan administration to cut taxes for social programs in the 1980's, resulting in more hungry Americans.

This documentary follows three food insecure Americans. Barbie is a single mother from Philadelphia who struggles to make ends meet for her two children. She sometimes has no choice but to feed her kids tinned spaghetti three times a day, the way she had been fed when she was a child.

Rosie is a fifth grader in Colorado who regularly goes hungry; she has to rely on friends and neighbours for food. Her hunger has taken a toll on her education and she has trouble concentrating and is frequently absent. Her teacher, Leslie, knows all too well what Rosie is going through - having experienced food insecurity herself - and supports Rosie as best she can.

Finally, Tremonica is in the second grade in Mississippi and is overweight, due to the processed food, which is all her mother can afford. She has asthma and other health issues and longs to enjoy her time at school without losing her breath.

Finding North follows these three ordinary people around, as well as looking into food banks and the help they provide. It is being distributed by Participant Media, known for the acclaimed documentaries An Inconvenient Truth and Food, Inc.

Directors: Kristi Jacobson and Lori Silverbush