If you are looking for a way to support food allergy education and awareness, you may be interested in a documentary created by a young filmmaker, Jack Yonover. He was diagnosed with a tree nut allergy when he was 10 years old. He soon realized how few people understood the ramifications of living with a food allergy.
“Being new to food allergies, I had no idea how an allergy would dynamically change every minute of my life,” said the filmmaker. “I soon experienced tons of frustration everywhere I went realizing that the general public didn’t have a good understanding of food allergies.”
Jack decided to channel his frustration into a creative project. Since he already had an interest in film making, he began a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for a documentary educating the world about food allergies. The campaign was successful.
After taking courses in film making and editing, Jack spent many hours filming and piecing together a movie called “That Bites!” In it are interviews with kids from around the U.S. talking about their food allergy experiences, interviews with professionals, and party, restaurant, and holiday situations illustrating what life is like for children with food allergies.
When the documentary had its premiere screenings in his hometown of Wilmette, IL the two showings sold out and raised nearly $8,000.
That Bites! will be aired at film festivals as well, including the Vision Fest Film Festival in New York, the Manhattan Film Festival in New York, the Eureka Springs Film Fest in Arkansas, and the New Haven International Film Festival in Connecticut.
“I’ve been studying and researching all types of food allergies, the causes, and its impact on the life of the food allergy sufferer, and I want to bring this information to the public,” said Jack in his Kickstarter campaign.
“For so many people, the concept of food causing harm is hard to comprehend. My goal with my feature-length documentary…is to raise awareness about food allergies and to raise money for FARE (Food Allergy Research and Education).”
The film will likely be available to the public this November with an online or DVD purchase. You can follow or support the film’s progress via Jack’s That Bites! Facebook page, or by visiting that-bites.org.