Manoomin: The Sacred Food is a short documentary on the Anishinaabeg of Northern Minnesota and the wild rice (Manoomin) they consider to be a sacred gift from Creator. The film tells the Creation and Migration stories that are central to the tribe’s oral history and belief system while showing the traditional process of hand-harvesting and parching the wild rice. Biotech companies are currently researching ways to genetically modify the rice and the community is fighting to keep it wild.
Directed by Jack Pettibone Riccobono, Manoomin: The Sacred Food is a Winner of the 2006 Berlinale/Terra Madre Short Film Competition sponsored by the Berlin Film Festival & Slow Food.