Ali Eats America
Roush Niaghi and Greg Morris
United States, 2024, 91 min.
This film is family friendly.
Ali Allouche spent his high school junior year in chemotherapy. Tired of hospital food, Ali became obsessed with food shows. Inspired by Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown, he dreamed of a tour of U.S. restaurants. Chemo completed, Ali was ready to eat! And the culinary community opened their hearts and menus. From pit-masters to pizzerias; bed-and breakfasts to greasy spoons; the Grand Canyon to New York City: the best restaurants and chefs across the country—including José Andrés and Wolfgang Puck—welcomed Ali.
Director's Statement
Our aim for this project was to highlight Ali’s journey and the resilience that lies beyond his cancer battle. To make a movie that any person or family member affected by cancer could relate to and be inspired by. To leave the audience feeling hope and maybe even a little hungry.
Category: Documentary.
Themes: Road Trip, Youth, Family, Food, Human Spirit.
Sunday, April 13
Festival Grounds at the Mercado Annex
7:30pm
Filmmaker in Attendance
More in Documentary
-
Middle Grounds
Kevin Smokler & Christopher Boone
United States, 2026, 27 min.A documentary short about Bison Coffeehouse, a Northeast Portland hub for coffee, community, and conversation — things that unite us when so much divides... more ›
-
My Grandmother is a Skydiver
Polina Piddubna
Germany, 2025, 13 min.In 1960s Tajikistan, a skydiver gets a call from her granddaughter in 2022 Ukraine, sparking an intergenerational journey through trauma, memory and identity... more ›
-
Fears of a Clown
Bart Vandever
United States, 2026, 90 min.Meet Steve: a fast talking, foul mouthed entertainer with East Coast grit and a brilliant, unique mind. After a lifetime of battling severe OCD, Steve poured... more ›
