Mountainfilm in Telluride in Big Apple screens "Apple Pushers" at NYC event

19 Oct Mountainfilm in Telluride in Big Apple screens "Apple Pushers" at NYC event

“The Apple Pushers,” kicks off the weekend, when Mountainfilm in Telluride returns to the Big Apple, October 21 – October 23, for an encore program at Lincoln Center’s Walter Reade Theatre.

“Apple Pushers” is not about the friendly folks who sell bites out of the technological magic “The magician” (The Economist, October 8 – 14), Steven Jobs conjured. The documentary features a whole other category of vendors.

“The Apple Pushers,” written and directed by Mary Mazzio, narrated by Edward Norton, and underwritten by the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund, follows immigrant street vendors who roll fresh fruits and vegetables into the inner cities of New York, where finding a fresh red ripe apple can be a serious challenge. These pushcart vendors, who have immigrated here from all parts of the world are now part of a new experiment in New York to help solve the food crisis and skyrocketing obesity rates, particularly in the inner city.

Although “The Apple Pushers” is not in general distribution, but early supporters are buzzing:

“I live in Brooklyn. And I buy fruit from a man pushing a Green Cart. This film tells the story–the story behind the person, behind the cart. In a different era, he could have been my great grandfather. It tells the story of a country where many people have no place to buy fresh ingredients. And it tells the story of low income people, working to build solutions to problems in their communities, and at the same time, working to build a path out of poverty,”  said Josh Viertel, President, Slow Food USA

It takes a former Olympian like Mary to tackle the subject of food access, immigration, and entrepreneurship. Also a former law partner, the award-winning documentary film writer/director is founder and CEO of 50 Eggs, LLC, an independent film production company. Mary wrote, directed and produced the highly acclaimed award-winning films, “TEN9EIGHT,” “Lemonade Stories,” “Apple Pie,” “A Hero for Daisy,” and “We Are BlackRock.”

For an overview of the weekend, listen to my interview with Mountainfilm director David Holbrooke.

To learn more about “The Apple Pushers,” click the “play” button and listen to Mary Mazzio’s interview.